Friendly Shores
by karmacanary
Summary: Something has turned The Enchanted Forest upside down. No one is who they appear to be, and loyalties are rebuilt and tested as everyone tries to navigate their new path. When the machinations of an evil man threaten them all, can Emma and Killian overcome their differences to defeat him? And will their kindred souls lead them back to each other? Rated M for sizzle, as always.
1. The Plan

Emma stared down at the unfolded square of paper in her hand, frowning.

"This was all there was to the message?" she asked, holding the note out to Granny.

Granny shrugged. "That's it. The kid ran off before I could get anything more out of him."

"And you didn't recognize him?"

"Nope. Never seen him around here before." Granny said, squinting in the sunlight. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "It's all very vague. One line, and nothing else. Just a place and a name."

"Could be a trap," Granny suggested. "Maybe I should come with you."

Emma shook her head. "It says to come alone."

Granny gave her an eyeroll. "Since when have you ever done what anyone says to do?"

Emma smiled. "Good point. But I have to admit, they've piqued my curiosity." She folded the paper back up. "I'll go alone, but you stay close by. If it all goes south, I can get out of there quickly."

###

Emma kicked the chair away from the table, spinning it around and sitting astride it, carefully studying the man across from her.

"You were looking for me?" she asked, raising a brow.

"I am." The man signaled for service, and a bottle appeared on the table. He poured them each a drink, raising his glass to her. "To your health," he said, with a tight smile.

"To yours," she echoed, tossing hers back. "You didn't bring me here drink."

"No, I didn't." The man leaned back in his chair. "I hear you're someone with a certain skill set. A skill set I may find...useful."

Emma inclined her head. "It's possible." She poured herself another drink, waiting patiently for the man to elaborate. He stared at her hard, as if trying to take her measure.

"I need someone to...infiltrate a small group of travelers. They've managed to derail an important venture I was working on, and so far, they've also managed to evade me. I need someone on the inside to apprise me of their plans."

"And you think that someone is me?"

"Perhaps." The man's steely eyes bore into her, but she met his gaze without flinching, showing only a mildly bored demeanor.

"What's in it for me?" she asked.

"You'll be well-compensated," the man said reasonably. "And you won't be in much danger. The group is hardly a threat to anyone, no matter how they posture and pretend."

"Group?"

"They're traveling by foot, and should be arriving at their destination sometime tomorrow. You get there ahead of them and position yourself. Once they discover you, you do what you do best," he said, gesturing at her. "Turn on the charm. Use those wiles."

"On all of them?" She raised a brow again.

"On any of them. I need information, and I need you to be my ears."

Emma poured herself another drink. "Why can't you do it?"

"I did. I had them all fooled, but they discovered my ruse and nearly derailed my plans. Luckily, I managed to salvage some of what I need. They can get me to the rest."

"And then what?"

"And then I can finish what I started. You don't need any more detail than that."

Emma inclined her head. "Clear enough. How exactly do I get you the information, once I've gleaned it?"

The man sloshed the liquid around in his glass. "Don't worry about that. I'll find _you_."

Emma took another swallow, then set her drink down on the table. She stood up, twirling the chair around and pushing it back under the table.

"Thank you for the drink," she said. "And good luck with your endeavor."

The man smiled, a cold smile that stopped before it reached his eyes. "There's more," he said over his shoulder. Emma paused, but didn't look back.

"There usually is," she said with a smirk.

"These people - the ones you'll be getting so cozy with. Rumor has it they know where _he_ is." The man reached for the bottle again, and Emma's hand was suddenly there, stopping him from pouring another.

"That had better not be the drink talking."

The man glanced up at her, and his eyes narrowed.

"They know," he assured. "And they can lead you right to him, and to something that can end him for good. And if everything goes as planned, you'll be in a much more...advantageous position where he is concerned."

Emma put a booted foot up on the chair, leaning into the man's face.

"I want your guarantee," she growled. "Do what you want with the others, but he's _mine_."

"I have no quarrel with him. He's all yours."

"No strings attached?"

"Beyond the information you'll be supplying me? No."

Emma mulled that over for a moment. Her hands itched just thinking about getting close enough to wrap them around a throat. She pulled the chair out, sitting down again.

"Give me the details," she said. "Who are they?"

"No one of any import," the man said. "Not to you, anyway. Though I imagine you'll find at least one of them amusing."

She raised her brows. "Amusing?"

"There are three princes and a soldier. They like to think they're invincible, but they were easily fooled."

"Yet they still managed to thwart you," Emma pointed out.

The man's lips thinned. "I made a mistake. I won't be doing so again." He reached for the bottle once more. "The soldier is a mistrustful sort, he'll be on guard. The prince with the red hair is a complete non-entity. He's useless and he slows them down."

"And the other two?"

"They're close, and they're smart. The one is particularly clever. It's like he's thinking a step ahead. He knows things a little too easily. He's also the one who nearly derailed my plans." The man's mouth pulled down, tightening in anger.

"I've never met a man who was particularly clever when there's an attractive woman around," she smirked.

The man raised a brow and gave her a cold stare.

"Don't get overconfident in your charms. He's not easily fooled."

Emma raised a brow of her own. "We'll see," she said noncommittally.

The man tossed back his drink. "You need to leave immediately."

Emma stood. The man pushed a scrap of paper at her. "This is a map to their location. They'll reach the village by mid-day tomorrow. Just make sure you're in place, and your story is well-rehearsed."

Emma scooped up the paper, then reached for the bottle, tucking it under her arm.

"Just leave them to me," she said. "I haven't had fun with a prince in a good, long while." She smiled, tucking the paper into her pocket.

The man smiled back, without any warmth. "See that you don't let your amusements get in the way of the job."

"I never do."

"Good," he replied. "Now get back to your ship and set sail...Captain Swan."


	2. Three Princes

"Ouch!" Archie paused a moment, leaning his hand against the tree trunk and rubbing the inside of his leg.

"What's the hold-up?" Leroy put his hands on his hips, clearly unhappy that they were stopping yet again.

"I think I turned my ankle," Archie said. "These shoes aren't really suited for walking."

"We can't rest long," Leroy chided. "These woods are home to ogres. We'll want to be through them before nightfall."

"I know - I'm sorry," Archie said. "I'll just be a minute."

Leroy turned a stony visage toward the other two members of their party, who were currently walking ahead, clearly not wanting to be overheard.

"At this pace, we'll never get there by nightfall," Robin said, keeping his voice low so that Archie didn't overhear.

"Leroy said it's just over that ridge, and he knows this territory better than we do."

"Killian, do you get the feeling we don't know everything we ought to know, here?"

Killian paused, the canteen lifted halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't know. It just all seems sort of - odd, don't you think? First we get thrown to...wherever this is...and then we're attacked by George and he tries to take the ship. The man is a king - he has many ships at his disposal. Why try to take ours?"

"He's a _deposed_ king," Killian reminded him. "And that ship is the fastest in all the realms."

"All I know is we should have turned it straight for the Enchanted Forest instead of traipsing about here. I want to go home, Killian."

Killian's eyes softened. "I know you do, mate. But going home without any answers isn't going to help us. We need to find out who did this, and why we were brought here." He cast an eye over at Archie, who was being helped unsteadily to walk by an obviously impatient Leroy. "Do you really think they'll help us?"

Robin followed his gaze. "They've _been_ helping us. I think they'd be a little more on-board if they knew what we were looking for."

"I know what I'm looking for," Killian said. "Answers. And this is where we're going to find them. If we search the camp again, perhaps we'll find something we overlooked. Leroy can help me question some of the people, as well."

"And Archie can rest and do...whatever it is that Archie does," Robin finished sardonically. "Are you sure the ship is safe?"

"I hid her well," Killian said. "She'll be ready to sail once we've gotten a few more answers."

Robin heaved a sigh. "Then let's get going. We need to get home."

They walked another two hours, pausing to rest several times for Archie, who was unused to trekking in any form. As they approached the camp from the tree line, Leroy suddenly reached out an arm, stopping them in their tracks.

"Wait!" he hissed quietly. "There's no one at the watchtower."

"Should there be?" Robin asked.

"We always leave a guard," Leroy explained. "Always. This doesn't smell right to me."

Killian shared a measured look with Robin. "Let's move in slowly," he recommended, drawing his cutlass. Robin fell in right behind him and Archie hesitated nervously, until Leroy urged him forward and took position behind him. A few moments later they realized why it seemed so eerily quiet.

There were bodies everywhere. Piles of them, slaughtered and fallen, laying in pools of blood.

"What - " Archie swallowed hard. "What happened here?"

"They're dead," Robin said, looking around in dawning horror. "They're all dead."

"They don't look as though they'be been dead long." Killian rested his hand on the back of an overturned cart, surveying the carnage. "They look as though they were taken by sur - "

He broke off when a low groan interrupted him. He stepped back, startled, and the groan sounded again.

"Under here!" he shouted, gripping the edge of the cart. Robin and Leroy moved to the other side, and together they rocked the cart until it tipped, crashing over to one side and revealing a huddled lump under a cloak. Killian squatted down, reaching out to roll the person carefully over.

"She's alive!" Robin said, kneeling down next to Killian. Together, they helped the woman sit upright. She squinted in the bright sunlight, putting up a hand to shield her eyes.

"Thank God you're here," she said, coughing hard. "Please - do you have water?"

Archie pulled his water skin from his belt, holding it out to her. She drank thirstily, wiping her mouth afterward.

"What's your name?" Robin asked.

"Emma," she answered. "I'm the miller's daughter."

Killian raised a brow. "Really?"

She looked at him strangely. "Yes," she went on. "I managed to pull myself under here and hide, but then I got stuck when the cart shifted."

"What happened here?" Robin asked gently. "Is everyone dead?"

"I think so." Tears sprang to her eyes. Her hand shook as she brought the water skin back up to her mouth and Killian watched her closely, a frown creasing his brow.

"I'm Robin," Robin said. "Of Sherwood."

"_Prince_ Robin of Sherwood?" Emma asked.

"That's right," Robin said, smiling kindly. "This is Prince Killian of the Enchanted Forest, and of course, you know your Prince Archie, and his guard, Leroy."

"Of course," Emma said. She ducked her head in Archie's direction. "Your majesty."

"Please," Archie said, waving a hand dismissively. "Call me Archie." He squatted down and spoke to her gently. "Can you tell us who did this?"

"King George," she said, shakily. "He came with his army in the night. We never stood a chance." She glanced over at them, her eyes hesitating when she met Killian's. She looked away quickly. "I got lucky, and managed to hide."

"Perhaps there are others," Archie said, looking around.

"You're right," Robin agreed. "You and Leroy check the buildings. I'll look around out here."

"I'll stay with her," Killian offered. He watched the others go, and then he leaned in to Emma, lowering his voice.

"Just so you're aware, love - I'm awfully good at knowing when someone isn't who they seem."

She looked at him blankly, but her fingers tightened on the water skin. "I don't know what you mean," she said.

He reached out, offering her a hand and helping her to her feet. She handed him the water skin as Robin and the others returned.

"There's no one alive," Robin said.

"I can't believe he could do this," Archie said, his tone laced with horror.

"Believe it," Leroy growled.

"George is a tyrant, but I never knew he could commit this level of atrocity," Archie said. "He's been turning to darkness more and more ever since his son..." his voice trailed off. "Well, I would imagine it's been hard on him."

"How can you excuse this?" Robin asked incredulously.

"Hey! Lay off him!" Leroy intervened, stepping in front of Archie.

"George is a madman," Robin said. "A vicious madman." He turned to address Emma. "Do you have any idea what he was looking for?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "My father and I keep to ourselves and - "

She gave a squawk as Killian moved behind her, pulling his cutlass up and putting it to her throat.

"Killian!" Archie stepped forward.

"She's lying!" Killian said. "And I want the truth."

Leroy glowered at Emma. "I'll get some rope."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Emma pleaded. "I'm just a miller's daughter!"

"No, you're not." Killian bit out, dragging her over to a nearby tree. He held her fast as Leroy tightened the ropes around her.

"What if we're wrong about her?" Archie asked uncertainly.

"I'm not," Killian said, keeping the cutlass at Emma's throat. "And if she doesn't want to tell us why she's here, perhaps she can share her tale with the ogres." He leaned over, clanging his hook against a large, metal washtub that was laying nearby. The sound rang out loudly. Suddenly, the trees began to shake.

"Killian..." Robin warned, keeping an eye on the treetops.

"Please!" Emma said, her eyes wide with fear. "You can't leave me here!"

"Oh, yes we can," Killian answered. He turned to the others. "Come on."

"Wait!" she called out. "Wait!" She said it again, with much more desperation. "All right! You win! You were right about me!"

Killian stopped, then turned back to walk over to her. "And...?"

She gave him a look of pure contempt. "I'm not the miller's daughter. I was sent here as a spy."

Robin moved in next to Killian. "Go on."

"You can start by telling us who you really are," Killian said.

"My name really is Emma," she said. "But most people know me by a more colorful name: The Black Swan."

Robin's eyes widened. "The _Black Swan_?"

"Who the bloody hell is The Black Swan?" Killian asked.

"Only the most notorious pirate in all the realms," Archie said, clearly impressed.

"Really?" Killian looked taken aback.

"What's she doing here?" Leroy growled. "And give it to us straight, sister! We might still decide that you're ogre meat."

Emma eyed the treeline nervously, her eyes darting from it to Killian and back again.

"George sent me here," she explained. "He needs something - a magic compass. Rumor has it that it can guide you to whatever it is you're looking for."

"And what is it that he seeks?" Robin asked.

"I have no idea. George has his own agenda. I'm just here for the money."

"A compass..." Killian mused. "He's looking for a magical compass..."

The trees shook harder, and in the distance came a low, grumbling roar.

"Killian..." Robin warned again.

"Did you find out where it is?" Killian asked. "And don't even think about lying to me - you're terrible at it, love."

She gave him a venomous look. "I know where it is. We'll need to journey inland - it's a little over a day's walk."

"And where are we going, exactly?" Leroy asked suspiciously. "She could be walking us straight into George's army."

Killian looked at Emma, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Robin, Archie and I are prepared to pay you triple whatever George is offering you, if you take us to that compass."

Emma looked surprised. "Triple?"

Robin nodded in agreement. "I'll agree to that. If George wants the compass that badly, no good can come of it. Archie?"

Archie twisted his doublet nervously. "We need answers. Maybe the compass can lead us to them. I'll agree."

"It's done then," Killian said, slicing through Emma's bonds. "Let's walk."

"And don't think of trying any funny business!" Leroy warned.

Emma rubbed her arms, shaking them to get the feeling back into them, but gave Leroy a glare as he bound her hands. Then she started forward and Killian fell in beside her.

"You don't have dog my steps you know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I can't run very fast like this." She held her bound hands up, giving them a shake. Killian gave her a slow smile along with an all-to-knowing look.

"Don't worry, love," he said. "There's nowhere you can go that I won't find you."


	3. Beanstalks And Bargains

"Do you think we can trust her?" Robin asked, pulliing Killian aside as they walked.

"Absolutely not," Killian answered. "She's a pirate."

"Says the prince who captains a pirate ship."

"Which I commandeered from a pirate, therefore, I have had some experience to speak of," Killian reminded him.

"How did you know she was lying?" Archie asked.

"Yeah," Emma said, turning around and stopping. "How _did_ you know I was lying? I thought I was pretty convincing."

"You know, it ain't polite to eavesdrop," Leroy said, narrowing his eyes.

"And it's not polite to talk behind somebody's back," Emma retorted. She looked over at Killian again. "So...what tipped you off?"

Killian stepped closer, reaching down for her wrists. He pulled them up, turning them over and pushing her sleeve up, exposing a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist. It was a simple heart with a dagger through it, bearing a name.

"Who's Neal?" Robin asked.

Emma jerked her arm away. "Somebody from a long time ago," she said. Then she turned on her heel and started walking. Killian quickened his pace to catch up with her.

"Go away," she said.

"'Fraid I can't do that, love."

"Stop calling me that. I'm not your love."

Killian's jaw tightened. "You were Neal's love."

She gave him a look. "You're just all kinds of perceptive, aren't you?"

"What happened to him?"

"He's dead." She said flatly, her tone clearly indicating that this conversation was done. Killian ignored her, of course.

"That's why you're really here," he said. "What did George promise you? In return for information about us?"

"I told you. Money."

Killian shook his head. "I'm not stupid, love. A woman like you could have no problem getting all the gold she wanted."

Emma stopped in her tracks. "A woman like me?"

"You're bloody beautiful. And you know it."

"What is that supposed to mean? You think that's how I earn my money?" she asked, clearly offended.

Killian put up a conciliatory hand. "I didn't mean to impugne your honor. I'm merely saying that a clever pirate with stunning good looks never fails to find his - or her - fortune."

She gave him a slow smile. "Coming from a handsome prince, that's quite the compliment."

Killian's eyes brightened, and his hand reached out to trace her jawline. Then he curled his fingers into a fist, pulling his hand back. "No," he said. "You're not going to distract me, love. We're talking about you. What did George promise you?"

The smile faded off Emma's face. "Vengeance," she said. "He has information I'm willing to trade for."

"About the person who killed Neal?"

"Not a person," Emma said. "The Dark One. George told me that you know where he is."

Killian cocked a brow. "Interesting," he said, nudging her forward so that they could catch up to the others.

"_Interesting?_ That's all you have to say?"

"I've been using that word on a daily basis," Killian sighed. "You have _no_ idea."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that eleven days ago, we all suddenly found ourselves somewhere unexpected. All of us. And I'm willing to wager that includes you."

Emma looked at him warily. "Eleven days ago?"

"Where were you?" Killian asked.

"On my ship," she replied. "The Jolly Roger."

"No you weren't."

"And what makes you so sure?" she asked.

"You couldn't have been on your ship because that's where I ended up, along with Robin. We were moored at a port not far from the camp, which is where we first found Archie and Leroy. And George."

"_You_ took my ship!" Emma exclaimed. "How did you do it?"

"I told you - one moment we were at home, and the next, we all suddenly appeared elsewhere. I assume the same held true for you?"

Emma nodded reluctantly. "One minute I'm on my ship, like usual, and then I woke up next to a beanstalk."

"The beanstalk you're taking us to now?"

"Yeah."

"And we'll find the compass at the top?"

"That's what I was told." She glanced sideways at him. "How did you manage to thwart old George? He was pretty salty about it still."

"He tried to take my ship," Killian answered.

"You mean _my_ ship," Emma interrupted.

Killian raised a brow. "It's my ship now, love."

"I told you to stop calling me that," she reminded. "Why did George want my ship?"

"I have no idea. But we were able to turn his forces back," Killian explained. "When Robin and I first found ourselves aboard, we traveled inland to where the camp is located, hoping to find some answers. Instead, we found that Archie had been thrown there, along with Leroy. They had George imprisoned in their jail, and threw us in along with them. I had been knocked unconscious - a state I seem to be in with alarming frequency, by the way - and Robin had no idea who George was. Unfortunately, he told George everything he wanted to know while I was incapacitated. Once I woke up, I managed to convince Archie and Leroy we were on their side, and we all headed for the ship."

"And that's when George ambushed you?"

"Unsuccessfully," Killian said.

"Glad to hear it. Now where's my ship?"

"_My_ ship," Killian said. "And I'm not stupid enough to give you just the information George is looking for."

Emma stopped in her tracks again. "Look...sweetheart...you might try something new. It's called trust."

Killian gave her a lopsided grin. "Trust a pirate? Not bloody likely."

_###_

"There it is," Emma said, gesturing up. "The beanstalk."

"And you're sure that this compass can be found at the top?" Robin asked.

Archie shaded his eyes, looking upwards. "That's a long way to the top," he said with a good deal of dismay. "I don't know if I can climb that far on my ankle."

"Maybe we should keep watch here at the bottom," Leroy suggested. "Who's to say George isn't following our every step?"

"Good point," Killian agreed. "I'll accompany our guest up the beanstalk, and you three wait below, keeping watch for George.

Robin pulled Killian aside, lowering his voice. "You think that's a good idea, Killian? She'd as soon put a dagger in your back as lead you to the compass."

"Hey!" Emma said, clearly affronted.

"Leave her to me, mate. I'll get the compass. And Leroy will need your help here on the ground if George shows up."

Robin clapped Killian on the shoulder. "Move as quickly as you can. If I haven't heard from you in ten hours, I'm coming up after you."

"Fair enough," Killian said. "And if George brings an army, get out of here and we'll rendezvous at the ship."

Archie stepped over to Emma, holding out a hand. "Give me your wrists, and I'll cut you loose," he offered.

Emma held out her wrists with a coquettish smile. "Thank you...your majesty." She gave him a wink and Archie flushed hot red, all the way to the roots of his hair.

Killian rolled his eyes, grabbing Emma by the arm. "Come along. No time to waste."

He led her over to the beanstalk, then reached up, grabbing a vine. "Come on," he said, extending a hand down.

Emma smiled up at him. "I was hoping it'd be you," she said, taking the hand.

They climbed steadily for over three hours, stopping only for a brief water break. Emma handed back the water skin, wiping her mouth.

"So tell me about yourself," she said. "You're a prince, right?'

Killian attached the water skin back to his belt. "Something like that."

A frown creased her forehead. "Well, either you are or you aren't."

"I am."

"Where did you learn to sail? It's not like the Enchanted Forest is a maritime kingdom."

"It's a hobby of mine," he answered, reaching for a vine and pulling himself up again. "Let's keep moving. I'd like to get to the top before nightfall."

"You're not much on conversation, are you?" She observed, hanging on a vine and swaying slightly. "That's okay. I like a challenge." She raised her brows and gave him a saucy grin.

He cocked a brow in return. "Is that so?"

"Let me ask you something, Prince."

"Killian," he corrected.

"Killian. Is there a princess at home, waiting for you?"

He gave her a wary look. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just wondering why you didn't return home to her, instead of gallivanting off all over the countryside with your princely pals," Emma shrugged.

"There is a princess, yes," Killian said. "And she will more than understand the need for answers, once I've explained it to her."

"Oh, the little woman needs you to explain it to her," Emma said, in a baby-like voice. "How precious."

Killian smiled in spite of himself.

"I suppose she doesn't like it much when you travel," Emma said.

Killian didn't answer her, and just kept climbing.

"I mean, a handsome prince like you - I'd certainly be worried while you were away...doing who knows what with just...anyone..." she gave him a knowing look, and then a smirk.

Killian stopped climbing. "She doesn't worry," he said.

"Maybe because she's got amusements of her own," Emma offered slyly.

Killian gave her a glare. "What are you getting at, exactly?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm just saying...a ship probably isn't the best place for a prince who has commitments to a kingdom. And a princess."

"Ah," Killian answered, the light beginning to dawn. "And you think I should just give up my ship - '

"_My_ ship."

"You think I should just deed the ship over to you and go back home. Is that it?" he asked.

"What if I told you I was willing to make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"The compass for my ship."

"You want me to trade _my_ ship," he said, "For the compass. The compass that you _hope_ is at the top of the beanstalk."

"Why would George lie about that? He wants me to get the compass for him."

"Why?"

"How do I know?" she said. "I only know he needs it, and he's paying me. I'm willing to shift it over to you, and you pay me with my ship." She leaned in, trailing a finger up the collar of his coat. "It doesn't cost you a thing, you know. Giving me back _my_ ship."

Killian grabbed her hand, but didn't release it. "And once we get up there, where exactly do we find this mystical compass?" he asked.

"Well," Emma said. "There's supposedly a treasure room, and that's where it'll be. Oh, and a giant. But with both of us working together, that shouldn't be a problem."

He pulled her closer, his mouth hovering just above hers. "And you want to work with me?"

Her eyes half-closed and a catlike smile pulled at her lips. "I think it might be...interesting." Her lips barely brushed his and Killian's arm slid around her, gripping her hand as it attempted to pull his cutlass from his belt.

"Nice try," he commended, kissing her lightly. "But your eyes quite gave you away. You looked down for just a moment before you kissed me. You need to work on your approach, love."

She pulled back, frowning at first, then forcing a smile. "Maybe I was enjoying myself."

A fire leapt behind his eyes, and her all-too-knowing look said that she realized it. "You know...giants have really, really big beds," she murmured. "Really big."

"You tease me at your peril," he warned her. She gave him a maddening smile in return, then she tilted her head up.

"Look! It's the top!" She climbed faster, and Killian had no doubt she had plans to ditch him as soon as she could get away. He put on some speed, gaining on her as she pulled herself over the edge.

"What the hell...?"

Her voice carried down to him as he levered himself up over the opening, rolling to his knees and then pushing himself up to stand next to her.

"This isn't a giant's castle," she said, completely confused.

Killian ran a hand across the back of his neck, staring at the nearby sign with wide eyes. "No," he said, pointing at the sign.

"We're in Storybrooke."


	4. Storybrooke

_**Hello readers - and welcome to another adventure - this one is going to be a doozy! I'm really pushing my boundaries here, and to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure where we're going entirely. I know where we end up...just haven't quite figured out how and when we get there. I know this one is probably making you scratch your head a bit, but bear with me...it'll start getting clearer, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy cautious Killian and flirty Emma, because things are going to get even stranger.**_

_**And as for my upcoming fics - in addition to the Thanksgiving fic I put up last Thursday on You Had Me At Malfeasance, I also have another stupendous fic idea waiting in the wings after this one that should span the entire hiatus, so this one may be a bit shorter than you usually see from me to accommodate the launch of the hiatus fic.**_

_**But for now...back to our regularly scheduled story. Let's see what the hell Storybrooke is doing at the top of a beanstalk, shall we?**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>TWO WEEKS EARLIER...<em>**

Mr. Gold looked up from the ledger book he was perusing, and the ever-so-slight lifting of his brows was the only outward sign of his surprise at seeing the man who walked through his door.

"There's a face I've not seen in a long while," he remarked casually. "What brings you in?"

"I happened to find myself on this side of town," George remarked. "And I'm in the market for an artifact. Something tells me you've got it."

"I have a good many artifacts," Gold said, gesturing around him. "Was there something in particular?"

George's pale eyes held his. "A compass."

Gold didn't so much as twitch in response. "A compass." He reached beneath him, pulling out a velvet-lined drawer, holding a variety of compasses and pocket watches. "See anything you like?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"It's not here."

Gold slid the drawer back into the case beneath him. "I do recall asking if it was something _particular_," he reminded. "Am I to assume you're looking for a _certain_ compass?"

George stared him down a moment. "Yes," he finally bit out. "A magical compass."

"Ah," Gold said, finally seeing the light. "The magical compass that Snow White and Emma used to return to our realm?"

"Yes."

"Can't help you." Gold started to close up the ledger, but got stymied by George's hand, slamming down on the book.

"You know where it is." George made it a statement, not a question.

"Well, of course I do. Snow and Emma kept it. A memento of sorts, I'm sure." He eyed George shrewdly. "And knowing the warm relationship you've cultivated with the Prince and Princess, I doubt you'll talk them into loaning it to you."

George stood a moment, drumming his fingers lightly on the glass countertop. "Do you have others?" he asked at last.

"Other compasses? I've just shown them to you."

"Other _magical_ compasses." He was clearly getting irritated, and the smile lifting the corner of Gold's mouth said he knew it.

"No, I'm afraid that compass is singularly unique in what it does," Gold replied. "But you know that, or you wouldn't be seeking it. The question is...what are you seeking it for?"

George's jaw tightened, and he turned on his heel, stalked over to the door and left, slamming it behind him.

###

_**BACK TO THE PRESENT...**_

Emma walked cautiously forward down the road, with Killian just a few steps behind.

"I don't see any giants," she said over her shoulder. "This place looks nothing like what I was told it would be."

"And who told you about it?" Killian asked. "George?"

"Yeah."

"He's been up here?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Please. George do his own dirty work? Not if he can help it. He sent his son, James, who - according to George - dropped the compass while he was running to get away from the giant. Then he got stomped."

Killian raised his brows. "Stomped?"

"Smushed flat." She looked back at him. "So let's try to avoid the giants if we can, okay?"

"A sound strategy," he agreed, quickening his pace to walk beside her. "You're certain he said there would be a castle?"

"I'm certain that _he_ was certain there would be, yes."

"So this is unexpected all around," Killian mused, rubbing his beard. "Why would Storybrooke be at the top of a beanstalk?"

"You know this place?" Emma raised her brows in surprise.

"I've heard of it."

Emma stopped walking again, turning to face him. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

He didn't even bother to stop, or to answer her. He just kept walking.

"Hey!" She jogged up next to him. "What aren't you telling me?"

He gave her a cocky grin. "If I told you that, then I _would_ be telling you. And I'm choosing not to do so."

Emma looked offended. "Have I given you a reason not to trust me? I got you here, didn't I?"

"You've given me several reasons not to trust you," Killian explained, "The greatest of which is that you're working for King George."

"You and George have a beef with each other?" Emma asked. "Did he try to take over your kingdom or something like that?"

"Something like that," Killian said evasively. "And he attacked us in an attempt to get my ship."

"_My_ ship."

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law, love."

Emma moved around in front of him. "And you look like a man who can be...possessive," she noted, giving him a sly smile.

"Oh, you have _no_ idea."

She reached out, trailing her fingers along his arm. "Maybe I'd like to be...possessed. Just for a little while."

A muscle ticked in Killian's jaw, and his eyes were clearly burning with what her words kindled inside him. "What did I say about teasing me?"

"Ohhh..." Emma slid her hand up and around his neck, bringing her lips a hairsbreadth from his. "What if I'm not teasing?"

"You'll forgive me if I question your agenda," he said, not moving away. His body was rigid, clearly showing it to be an effort not to take what she was offering.

Emma stepped back with a shrug. "No agenda. I just think you'd be interesting for awhile. And I've been around enough to know you're feeling it, too."

He closed his eyes, reigning himself in. "You clearly don't know me at all," he said quietly. "Come on. We're nearly there." He started walking again and Emma hurried to catch up.

"And where is _there_, exactly?" she asked grumpily.

"The town. We were on the outskirts."

"And you think we'll find the compass there?"

"Possibly. Where else would we look? I don't see a castle anywhere, let alone a giant," Killian pointed out.

"You don't suppose there's a tavern there, do you? I'm starving."

The road beneath them gave way to painted crosswalks and sidewalks on either side as they entered the town. Emma glanced up curiously at the stoplights and gave the cars more than a few second glances.

"What sort of a place is this, anyway?" she asked. "Everything is so...weird. Where are the horses?"

"The conveyances run without them," Killian said. "Or so I've been led to believe."

"And just where did you hear about this place?" Emma pressed. "You didn't say."

"No, I didn't."

Killian kept walking, obviously not going to expand on that point. Emma made a hmmphing sound and walked alongside him. A few moments later, Killian came to an abrupt stop, staring up at the glowing sign over one of the establishments.

"Smee's," Emma read. "It looks like a tavern. There are tables and chairs."

"Aye, it is. Let's go in and see what we can discover."

Emma cocked her head to one side. "You buying?"

"Why? Because I'm a prince?"

"And a gentleman. Either that or you _prefer_ gentlemen," she added in a grumble.

"What?" He looked at her incredulously. "What would give you that idea?"

"Your buddy Robin is awfully pretty. And I've never known a man to resist what I'm offering."

Killian's jaw tightened. "Maybe some of us find it unappealing that you offer it so freely."

Emma made a childish pouty face. "Awwww...is your little princess holding out on you? You got a thing for virtuous women?"

He cracked a reluctant smile. "Not virtuous. Just selective."

"And she hasn't selected you?"

He didn't meet her eyes as he held the door for her. "Not yet."

"What a shame," she said over her shoulder as she entered the restaurant. "I'd've been all over you. And under. And in front of, and on my - "

"Enough." He prodded her forward. "Now sit down and put some food in that mouth."

She took a seat in a nearby booth. "Sheesh. I _was_ discussing stuffing my mouth. You just didn't like it," she smirked.

Killian raised a brow, refusing to be baited. Emma rolled her eyes and turned to address the waiter, who had just approached the table.

"Well, hello..." she said, eyeing the man with clear interest. "What's your name?"

"Will," he replied, giving her an answering grin. "Will Scarlet." He leaned in, putting his hands down on the table, no doubt knowing that in the tight red tank top he was wearing, his muscular arms were shown to their best advantage. "And who might you be?"

"She's with me." Killian answered, in an icy tone. "We'll have two of the day's special."

Will gave Killian an appraising look, then turned to smile at Emma again. "And what are you drinking, love?"

"Don't call her that." Killian's eyes flashed a warning now, and Will was smart enough to back off. He slowly straightened up.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Just making conversation."

"Make it elsewhere," Killian suggested with a good deal of menace. "And we'll both have rum."

"Rum it is," Will replied, hurrying off to the back. Emma leaned her chin on her hand and smiled widely.

"See?" she remarked. "Possessive. I knew it."

"We're not here to flirt," he reminded her.

"If you say so," she conceded with a sigh. "But I do like the way his pants cling to his -"

"Emma." He crooked a brow and stared her down.

"So now what?" she finally asked. "Do we just start asking door to door for a compass?"

"If you can keep your hands and your words in check, I believe I should be able to question our server and get some information."

Emma leaned back in her chair, spreading her hands. "He's all yours...unless you two would like to share me."

He gave her a dark look, refusing to answer that one, and Will re-entered through the swinging door with plates of food, a bottle of rum and two glasses. He set it all down on the table.

"Just a moment," Killian interrupted him as he turned to go. "Perhaps you can help us. We've only just arrived in Storybrooke and we're looking for someplace where we can purchase interesting and hard-to-find items. Is there such a shop in town?"

"Oh, you mean the pawnbroker and antiques dealer?"

"Yes, that would be the place," Killian answered.

Will looked surprised, and he glanced around, leaning in. "You need to be careful there, mate," Will warned in a low voice. "The owner has a fondness for making deals that don't always turn out to your advantage, if you get my meaning."

Killian's hand tightened into a fist. "Indeed I do."

"I'm sure he'll be no problem," Emma said confidently.

"I doubt anyone would give you a problem," Will said, grinning.

"Is Mr. Smee about?" Killian broke in. "He and I are old friends."

"He's in the back. I can bring him round if you'd like," Will offered.

"Please do." Killian's tone was dismissive, and Emma smiled tauntingly at his open hostility.

"Possessive..." she murmured under her breath as Will hurried off to the back again. She reached down and picked up a french fry. "What exactly are these?"

"They're a sort of potato, I believe." He reached over, picking up the bottle of ketchup on the table. "Try dipping them in this."

Emma poured a pool of ketchup onto her plate, and swirled a fry around in it. She sniffed it cautiously, then put it in her mouth.

"Mmmmmm..." she moaned. "These are delicious." She swirled another fry in ketchup, then held Killian's eyes as she slowly licked the ketchup off. "You should try," she said with a smirk. Killian opened his mouth to reprimand her again and was interrupted by Mr. Smee, resplendant in a white, frilly apron, emerging from the back. Sweat was beading on his forehead and it took a moment for Killian to realize why he looked so odd.

"Where's your hat?"

"Excuse me?" He looked a little baffled. "I don't usually wear a chef's hat. We're not much on pomp and circumstance in Storybrooke."

"I see," Killian replied. "I believe we may have previously met."

"Sorry...no," Smee replied blankly. "Or, if we did, I don't remember it. Although things have been kind of jumbled these last few weeks."

"Here, too?" Emma asked. "Did you guys get hit like we did?"

"If you mean, did we all wake up on the opposite side of town and totally confused, then yes, we got hit."

Killian's eyes met Emma's and she gave a tiny shrug.

"Where are you headed after this?" Mr. Smee asked. "If you're staying the night, I have rooms around the back for let."

"We have to go see the antique dealer," Emma said. She gave Killian a cheeky glance. "Then we'll talk about a room."

Mr. Smee's eyes went wide and he audibly gulped. "You - you're going to see..._him_?"

"Him?" Emma said, around the fry she shoved in her mouth.

"The Dark One." Smee glanced around nervously. "Be careful there. Don't make a deal with him, whatever you do."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "So this is where he is."

Killian reached out, grabbing her arm as she tried to stand. "Wait - _that's_ your agenda? The Dark One?"

"My agenda is none of your business," she said coldly. "Now let me go."

"We'll go together," Killian replied. "We need his help, whether you like it or not."

Emma gave him a fuming look and Killian turned to Smee again. "Is he there now?"

Smee nodded shakily. "He should be. Just make a left out the door and follow main street down. His shop is at the end on the left."

"Thank you." Killian stood, keeping his hand on Emma's arm as he walked with her to the door. Mr. Smee called out to them as they stepped outside.

"Be careful!" he warned again. "Mr. Charming is not a man to be trifled with."


	5. Mr Charming

"Slow down," Killian said. "I can't have you rushing in there and going for his throat."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she said, still walking. Killian reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"I mean it. I need you to back off."

"I don't take orders from you," she reminded him. "I have a score to settle."

"And you think you can just...what? Walk in and plant a dagger in his chest? He's The Dark One. It doesn't work that way."

She took in a breath through her teeth. "I plan to get that compass. When I do, it will direct me to a special dagger. Then I can control him."

"The compass can lead you to The Dark One's dagger?" Killian asked. "Why, that's brilliant!"

"You sound like you've had dealings with him, too," Emma said, suspiciously.

"No, not really. I just know about his motivations," Killian replied. "But right now, I need you to set that aside and work with me. We need to find out what happened to everyone. There's magic afoot here, and we need to get to the bottom of it."

"And how is that going to result in me getting my ship and the compass?" Emma asked, folding her arms.

"Oh, so now you want the ship _and_ the compass," Killian said, arching a brow. "I thought you were willing to trade the compass for the ship?"

"I was. But that was before I knew The Dark One was up here. Now get out of my way."

Emma moved to push past him, and Killian grabbed her arm again. She retaliated by twisting his hand into an uncomfortable position, but not before he brought his elbow up, dislodging her grip. She ducked under his arm, grabbing his hook and wrenching it up into a half-nelson behind his back.

Killian let out a low hiss and turned into her, knocking her off-balance. She stumbled backwards and he kept the momentum going, pushing her into a nearby alley and swinging her up against a wall. He pushed himself against her, wrapping his fingers in her hair to keep her immobile and holding her tight to the wall. Emma's eyes spit fire as her chest heaved in an effort to draw breath.

"You like this, don't you?" she griped.

He looked down at her with hooded eyes. "I do indeed," he answered. "But as scintillating as this is...we need to talk and you're going to listen."

She gave him a look that promised retribution, then added an incredibly fake smile. "So talk," she said sweetly, twining her arms around his neck.

Killian's jaw tightened and his look said he knew exactly what she was doing, but he decided to talk anyway.

"Like it or not, we need him. Something caused all of this mayhem, and he may very well know who or what. And you can bet that if that compass can tell someone how to find his dagger, he won't have it out in the case for anyone to walk in off the street and buy."

Emma's smile faded and she gave him a reluctant nod. "You're right. So what do you have in mind?"

"First, we need to know whether he actually knows anything. He may be as clueless as the rest of us."

"I doubt that," Emma said skeptically. "You don't know this guy. He's crafty."

"I can deal with crafty types," he said. And to prove his point, he pushed her into the wall a little tighter.

"You're gonna do this to him?" she smirked. "I don't think you'll get the same reaction."

"I'm going to talk to him," Killian continued. "Let him think I'm just visiting. And while I'm there, I can look around."

"And what am I doing while you're making nice?" Emma asked.

"Staying out of sight. He knows you."

Emma glared up at him. "And what's to keep you from running off with the compass, sailing away on my ship, and leaving me here to rot?"

"This," he said, and that was all the warning she got before his mouth came down on hers, kissing her slowly and thoroughly, his body pressing into hers in a very delicious way. Emma's fingers slid into his hair and she leaned into him. It felt like an eternity before he finally raised his head.

"So you _are_ interested," she murmured with a smile.

"Oh yes, love. I am very, _very_ interested," he said, kissing her lightly once more. "But right now, we need to solve this. We'll have time for us later. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I'm counting on it." He gave her a crooked grin. "Now stay out of sight, and let me get the gist of the situation." He stepped back, releasing her. Emma put up her hands.

"He's all yours, your majesty. Go play clueless tourist. I'll go back to Smee's and chat with the waiter or something. So don't be too long." She gave him a taunting grin over her shoulder as she sauntered off. He threw her a scathing look in return, clenched his hand into a fist and stalked off down the street.

Charming's shop was at the end of the block, and the bell on the door rang out as Killian stepped inside.

"Hi there!" A voice called out cheerily. "Come on in!"

Killian pasted on a smile. "Thank you. It's a bit chilly out there."

"This place is rarely warm," Charming said with an amiable smile. "What can I help you find?"

"I'm not sure," Killian said with a shrug. "I'm newly arrived and I promised my sister a gift upon my return. I'd heard you dealt in antiquities and rare items, so I thought I'd give your shop a look." He strolled nonchalantly along the wall, glancing at items and occasionally reaching out to pick something up for closer perusal.

"Take your time," Charming said, and the smile stayed in place. "We rarely have visitors. Where is it that you hail from, Mr...?"

Killian stepped over to the counter, looking around and leaning in before answering.

"I'm actually traveling incognito," he said. "I'm royalty, and I'd rather remain inconspicuous, if that's all the same to you."

Charming's brows went up. "Royalty? We definitely don't get much of that around here. What brings you to Storybrooke?"

"Just a stop along the way."

"Really? Along the way to where?" Charming's smile was still in place, and it was becoming more than a little...creepy.

"Oh, just making the rounds. Diplomatic visits and the like. You know how it is." Killian stepped back, looking down into the case. "What do you think about jewelry?"

"I think a man who claims to be royalty should be swimming in it," Charming said, still with a smile on his lips - one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And I also think that's not what you're really here for."

Killian's answering smile didn't falter. "You read me well," he conceded. "I'm looking for information. Your reputation quite precedes you, and I was hoping you could help me."

"I'd be happy to help," Charming said, his teeth sparkling in the light from the overhead fluorescents. "As long as there's something in it for me."

Killian strolled to the other side of the shop, where he pulled a dress off a nearby rack. "Does this come in blue?"

"No, I'm afraid not." There was that smile again.

"And what do you know about the event that occurred eleven days ago?"

Understanding lit Charming's eyes. "Ah. _That_ kind of information." He stepped out from behind the counter. "Was your kingdom disrupted? Everything left in disarray?"

"Something like that," Killian replied evasively. "Obviously, this was a magical incident. The question is, what _kind_ of magical incident, and who is responsible for it?"

"Can't help you with the second," Charming answered jovially. "But the first...well, let's just say it's an area of expertise."

"And what do you want in exchange for that information?"

"Nothing much. Just...a favor." He shrugged almost apologetically, with a goofy smile. "No big deal."

"No big deal," Killian repeated in a deadpan. "A favor granted to The Dark One is _always_ a big deal."

"You've heard of me," Charming's eyes narrowed, but the smile remained. He folded his arms, giving Killian a good once-over. "And that tells me quite a bit about your place of origin, which leads me to revise my deal." He leaned his hip against the counter. "I'll tell you what I know about the magical event, and you tell me how you got here."

Killian took a moment, nodding as if considering the offer. "We have an accord," he said. "Now what do you know about eleven days ago."

"There's nothing notable about the date, that I know of, so I don't believe that has anything to do with it other than being the date that the event occurred."

"And was it dark magic?" Killian asked.

"No. And not light magic, either." Charming smirked, clearly delighted to be so deliberately vague.

"Well, it has to be one or the other," Killian said, a bit perturbed.

"Oh, so you're an expert on magic? I didn't realize." Charming gave a laugh.

Killian clarified his question. "What other kind of magic is there?"

"Portal magic," Charming explained. "Whoever did this was creating a portal."

"To where?"

Charming pointed at Killian. "You know, that's a very good question. Which leads me to my half of the deal. How did you get here?"

Killian studied him a moment. "I came up a beanstalk. I was told there was a giant here, but found myself in Storybrooke instead."

"And where can I find this beanstalk, exactly?"

"Just across the town line."

Anger flashed across Charming's face but was quickly replaced with that smile again. "Thank you," he replied. "Now...was there anything else? I'm a busy man."

"As a matter of fact, there is," Killian said, reaching out and taking a red knit hat off a nearby shelf. "How much for this hat?"

"That old thing?" Charming said dismissively. "I use it as a dustrag. Do you really want to take that back to your sister?"

"It's for a friend. How much?"

"The price of that item is...your name," he said shrewdly. "I'd hate to keep treating you like a stranger, now that we've had our chat."

"It's Killian."

"Well, _Prince Killian," _Charming replied. "I trust you can show yourself out?" The smile was all but faded now.

Killian picked up the hat, and with a nod, made his exit. Charming stood and looked at the door a moment longer before walking over and flipping the sign to "Closed." He walked toward the back room, waving a careless hand behind him. The lights extinguished as one, leaving the shop in darkness.

Killian arrived at Smee's a few minutes later, and to his dismay, there was no sign of Emma. He stalked over to Will, who was taking someone's order, and grabbed him by the arm.

"Will you excuse us?" he said to the table, pulling Will away.

"But I'm not done there!" Will protested.

"They can wait," Killian said, glaring at him. "Where is Emma?"

"Calm down," Will said, shaking his head. "She rented a room from Mr. Smee and she told me to tell you she'd be waiting. Room three, at the end of the hall."

Killian inclined his head in a gesture of thanks - just barely. "And where do I find Mr. Smee?"

"At the end of the counter, there." Will started to walk away, then turned back for a moment. "I wouldn't take too long, mate. She said if you didn't show up soon, she'd be waiting for me instead."

Killian scowled at Will's retreating back, very nearly tossing the hat at it before striding over to the cash register. Mr. Smee looked up from ringing in his last order and smiled politely. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I brought you a gift." Killian set the hat down on the counter. "For your help earlier."

"Thank you!" Smee gave him a blank smile, and his hand closed over the hat. Killian started to walk away and got a few paces toward the back exit when Smee's voice rang out.

"Captain?"

Killian turned slowly, his eyes locking with Smee's.

"Mr. Smee?"

Smee looked down at his apron in pure confusion. "What's going on here, sir?"

Killian strode over quickly, leaning in and lowering his voice. "You know who I am?"

"You're Captain Hook," Smee replied, clearly befuddled. "But what am I doing cooking at Granny's?"

Killian reached around the counter, taking Smee by the arm. "Come with me," he said, leading him to the back. "We've got a lot to discuss."


	6. Handled

**_Hello readers! Are you good and confused now? Just wait until the rest of the tale unravels! _**

**_In completely unrelated news - my novels are now up on Amazon - just look me up under the name Britt DeLaney. Among them is a brand new novella that I wrote for the holidays, titled "Naughty or Nice". I've also published it over to Smashwords dot com (just search out the title or my pen name to find it). The e-book is formatted for all reading devices, or can be read online. I paired up a horny girl and an Irish guy because we all love our Irish boys, don't we?_**

**_ But anyway, back to our story - let's find out what Killian knows..._**

* * *

><p>Killian walked Smee down the back hallway, pulling him into an empty room and shutting the door.<p>

"Tell me what you remember," he growled, giving Smee a shake.

"I - I don't know," Smee said, scratching his head through his hat. "I was...buying a bag of cheese curls at the pharmacy, and the next thing I know, I'm cooking at Granny's. Except, it's mine now." He looked up at Killian. "How can that be? What happened here, sir?"

"I'm not sure," Killian said pacing the room. "I'd just had breakfast with Emma and Henry. and Emma had to go to the sheriff's station. Then suddenly, I'm on the deck of the Jolly Roger, in another realm, with Robin Hood laying on the deck next to me, insisting that we're both princes and we've been ruling neighboring kingdoms for years. Everyone aboard ship - the entire crew - was made up of people who didn't belong there. To add insult to injury, they had no idea I was their captain. My ship belonged to another."

"Who?"

"Emma Swan" he said, stroking his beard. "She thinks she's a pirate. And she's more than a little put out that I commandeered her ship, which makes her dangerous."

"Who's responsible for this, captain?" Smee asked. "Rumplestiltskin?"

"Possibly. I have no idea why he would do this. The man had no motive." He paced some more.

"How is it you're unaffected, sir? And how did you know my hat would bring me back?"

"I didn't," Hook explained. "I just thought you looked odd without your hat. Perhaps it's a talisman, of sorts."

"It is!" Smee said. "Rumpletstiltskin used it as a talisman when he was trying to find a way out of town!"

"That explains you, but what about me?"

"Were you wearing something particular?" Smee asked. "Holding something, maybe?"

Killian's eyes widened. "Yes. Yes! I was holding this." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small block of wood, about the size of pen. "It's from the Jolly Roger. Before I traded it to Blackbeard, I removed a sliver from one of the deck planks. I wanted to have a piece of her and I knew it would irritate him to no end to have it missing." Killian smiled with the memory. "I was in my room and I had just closed my hand around it when everything changed."

Smee sat down on the edge of the bed. "But why was I separated from my talisman, but you weren't?"

Killian raised his brows. "Your talisman isn't made from enchanted wood. Perhaps that comes into play." He gnawed the edge of his thumb a moment, thinking. "Wait - that could be it, exactly. I was back in my room looking for it, as a matter of fact."

"But why?"

"That, I think, may indeed be the question, Mr. Smee."

###

_**Thirteen days before...**_

"Ms. Swan."

"I don't have time for you, Gold," Emma said, swiping up her keys and preparing to leave the Sheriff's office. "I've got a crisis to deal with."

"Yes, I heard the fire engine," Mr. Gold replied. "But this really can't wait."

"Then walk with me," she called out as she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. "I've got work to do."

"Indeed you do," Gold said, opening the door to the sheriff's cruiser and sliding into the passenger seat next to her. "You need to go home."

"What?" Emma gave him an exasperated look. "We've got a forest fire raging and one fire truck in this town. It's going to take some heavy magic to get it put out. Regina and I are heading over, but we'd appreciate some more help, if you're willing to give it."

"I'm happy to offer my services. And am I to assume that Henry is with Regina?"

"He wouldn't stay away if we're using magic," Emma griped. "You know how he is."

"And your parents?"

"My mom's car broke down when she was leaving the park with my brother. My father's on his way to pick them up."

"Conveniently leaving no one at home."

Emma pulled over abruptly, slamming the car into park. "You want to tell me something?" she demanded. "I've got a fire to get to."

Gold gave her a cool look. "I have reason to believe that these coincidences are not what they seem. Our friendly district attorney and former villainous king paid me a visit yesterday, in search of a special compass that we both know you and your mother possess. My guess is, he's trying to draw you away so that he can retrieve it."

"The compass? What does he want with the compass?"

Gold gave a slight shrug. "Unknown. But that is the real question, isn't it? And if he's managed to find it, we'll have an answer and I'm not sure you'll like it."

Emma put the car in gear, pulling back out. "We have to get this fire under control before the wind shifts and sends it into town."

"Leave the fire to me and Regina," Gold offered. "You go and find out what old George is up to."

"He didn't make any deals with you?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"I didn't have what he wanted," Gold said. "But I will warn you - if George is planning on utilizing a magical instrument, well...let's just say that magic in the hands of amateurs...it never ends well."

Emma chewed her lip as she pulled up next to the firetruck on the edge of the forest. "You can stop this?"

"Regina could probably handle it herself," he said in a bored tone.

"All right, I'm heading home, but I'll be back over as soon as I've grabbed the compass."

###

_**Back in the present...**_

"So...you were holding your talisman, which is made from enchanted wood, and it kept you from changing to somebody else?" Smee clarified.

"That's just it," Killian said. "People aren't really that changed. They've moved into new roles, and are reacting to that, certainly, but they also seem to retain a lot of themselves. Robin is still Robin. The dwarf still has his cheery disposition. And Emma...I have a feeling she's still in there, somewhere." He gave a reluctant smile. "She's just a bloody good pirate."

"So she can't be trusted," Smee observed.

"Not yet. But if I could bring you back, perhaps we can do the same with her - and with everyone."

"What would her talisman be?" Smee asked.

"My thought is that it must be the compass, which is probably located in The Dark One's shop. I didn't see it when I checked the place out. I need to get in there."

Smee's eyes widened with alarm. "He'll know what you're up to."

"Not if he doesn't see me."

"He'll know it was you," Smee warned. "Mr. Charming is even more devious than the Rumplestiltskin we know. Don't think you can fool him easily, sir."

"What I need is a diversion," Killian pondered, rubbing his chin. "And I think I know just who can provide it. But before I do that, I need to know who's here, and who's there."

"There, sir?" Smee looked at him in confusion.

"Storybrooke is linked to the other realm via a beanstalk on the outskirts of town. Some of us were thrown there, others landed here," Killian explained. "I need to know who I can round up in Storybrooke. Have you seen Snow White?"

Smee shook his head. "No, sir. Just the prince."

"See if you can find anyone useful, while I go and set up my diversion."

Killian started off down the hallway. He reached room number three and knocked twice, rubbing his ear impatiently. He leaned in slightly, and his eyes narrowed as he realized he was hearing voices. He wrenched the door open wide, startling Will Scarlet, who was just sitting down on the foot of the bed. Emma was laying against the pillows, wearing her long shirt, boots, and it appeared not much else.

"What the devil is going on here!" Killian bellowed.

Will jumped up, scrambling over it to roll off the opposite side. Emma spread her arms, lounging back on her pillows.

"Took you long enough," she smirked. "What can I say? You snooze, you lose."

Killian's jaw hardened to the point where she should have heard a deafening crack. "Get out." He spoke to Will, but his eyes were on Emma.

"I don't want no trouble," Will said. "But the lady seems to have made her choice."

"The _lady_," Killian said, making it clear that he had a very hard time using that particular word, "Is looking for a man who knows how to handle a woman like her. A man who can match her in _every_ way that counts."

Will looked at him, wrinkling his nose. "And you think that bloke is you?" he turned to Emma. "I've never left a lady wanting."

"You'd be a diverting hour," Killian conceded as his eyes shifted to Will. "Or maybe only fifteen minutes. Emma needs a real challenge, and I think she knows where to find it."

"Much as I like watching you two battle wits over me," Emma said, crossing her booted feet, "I'm getting bored." She looked over at Will. "You - I'll talk to you later."

"How much later?" Will glowered.

"Depends on him." Emma gave a nod over toward Killian, who looked as though he were going to spontaneously combust with anger in the center of the room.

"You sure about this?" Will asked, leaning in and lowering his voice. "He don't look like much to me."

Emma shrugged. "We'll see. Don't go far."

Killian made a strangled noise and Emma rolled her eyes. Will gave her an answering shrug of his own and exited the room, giving Killian a wide berth as he did so. He pulled the door shut behind him, and Killian and Emma were alone.

"So?" She lifted a shoulder in a negligent shrug. "Was that all talk?"

He stood in the middle of the room, clenching and unclenching his fist, looking as though he were fighting an intense inner battle, because that's exactly what was going on. To walk in and find her here, ready to entertain another man...

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath in an effort to control his anger. This wasn't his Emma. She was Emma, most definitely, but not the way she needed to be.

Not the way he needed her to be.

And despite her forward ways, there would be hell to pay when she got herself back if he took advantage of that. He'd been fending her off for now, but it hadn't occurred to him that she'd be casting about like a cat in heat if he didn't take care of her himself.

"Bloody hell," he murmured under his breath. He opened his eyes, and Emma was standing before him, and that damned shirt was nearly transparent with the glow of the candlelight behind her.

"So you think you're the man for me?" she asked, unbuttoning the shirt and dropping it to the floor.

Killian's eyes widened, and he couldn't stop them from moving downward, taking it all in.

"Yes," he replied a bit hoarsely.

"Well, come on then. Let's try you out." She turned and walked to the bed where she sat down and extended a leg toward him. "Help me get my boots off."

Killian clenched his fist, unclenched it, and clenched it again. Then he walked over and put his hand around her boot.

"You really think you know how to handle me?" she said with a smirk, laying back on her elbows.

Killian's eyes darkened. "Oh, I know just what to do with you, love." His grip on her boot tightened, and gave a sharp tug across, instead of out, flipping her over onto her belly.

"What the...!"

Emma's words cut off on a startled shriek as Killian sat down on the bed and pulled her across his lap, then his hand came down in a stinging slap on her bare buttocks.

"You want to behave like a teasing child?" he fumed. "I'll handle you just like one!"

"Ow! Goddammit!" She struck back with her hands, trying to hit him, but he smacked her bottom again. "Stop that!" she shouted.

He flipped her back over, coming down on top of her and pinning one of her arms with his forearm while grabbing her free wrist in his hand. He held her legs down with one of his, and brought his full weight to bear. She thrashed for a moment, then went utterly still.

Her chest heaved as she stared up with him, and fire blazed from her eyes that very nearly matched the flames in his. They stared at each other for an endless moment, and something shifted, changing from vivid fire to slow smolder. His mouth moved slowly, ever-so-slowly toward hers.

Emma's eyes closed dreamily, and she brought her mouth up to meet his. He released his grip on her hand, sliding his hand down to trace the curve of her side and hip as he settled his lips on hers...

...Only to rear back with a roar as she tore a handful of hair from his head, bucking him off of her. Before he could get his bearings, her hand cracked across his face hard enough to make him see stars and he went down hard on one knee. She tried to move away, but he grabbed her leg, pulling her down where she fell awkwardly on top of him. He reached up, wrapping his hand in her hair and sliding his other arm around her to hold her tight.

"Bastard!" she shouted.

"Bitch!" he shouted back.

She grabbed him the collar of his shirt and kissed him, hard, her lips devouring his as they rolled over on the carpet. He sucked at her lips as his tongue twined with hers, and the only sound in the room was their harsh breathing as their lips met over and over, their breath mingling as he pressed into her. She shifted, spreading her legs with a groan and allowing him to slip between them. He ground against her, releasing her mouth as his lips and tongue moved to her neck. His teeth grazed her ear and his hot breath teased her, sending a shiver down her spine that collided with the feeling of him rocking himself, hard and thick, right into the apex of her thighs.

Her hand moved down to trace him through the tight leather of his pants and she groaned again.

"Oh, God. I want you," she panted, rubbing him hard until he had to move her hand for self-preservation.

She was wild beneath him, pulling at his backside, forcing him tighter against her, and he rolled his hips a little faster at her urging. His hand found her breast, tugging at the nipple as he pushed against her, and she moaned loudly. He felt her pull her legs up around him, and he settled himself higher, grinding on her hard until she came with a strangled cry, her back bowing as she froze, then collapsed, her shaking legs sliding off of him in the aftermath.

"God," she said, gasping. "Oh my God." Her dazed eyes met his, and the burning look he gave her made her realize that he was still holding back.

"Slide those pants off, big boy," she said, with a sated smile. "We can finish off down here or up there, but I'm not sure I can get up yet."

Killian sat back on his heels, his chest moving with the effort of breathing and holding back. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to finish what he started, but he had to stop this now, before it went too far.

He pushed himself to his feet. "We're done here," he said. "I've rented the next room. There's an adjoining door, if you need anything."

He walked over, wrenching the door open, then stepped through and slammed it behind him.

Emma laid on the carpet, staring in confusion at the ceiling as she heard him start the shower.


	7. Burn

He was just stepping out of the bathroom, shaking his wet head and with a towel around his waist, when he realized Emma was sitting cross-legged on his bed. He noted with relief that she was fully clothed.

"Good morning," she said. "Thought I heard you shower last night."

"That one was for self-preservation," he replied. "This one was for hygiene."

She layed back on the bed. "Wanna pick up where you left off? Or are you still doing the noble prince thing?"

He clenched his jaw, realizing that it was slightly sore from doing that so damn much. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"Curiosity." She rolled up off the bed and sauntered over to him, extending her hand until she hooked a finger just under the edge of the towel, low on his belly. "That's quite a happy trail you've got there."

His eyebrows went up. "Happy trail?"

"Mmmm-hmmm. That's what we call it when the hair starts here," she touched his chest, "And then trails down, to here..." she moved her finger slowly down, following the line of soft hair, back to the edge of the towel. She leaned in to deliver the coup de grace.

"I've been thinking about how you felt against my hand...and the rest of me...and I'm betting you'd feel even better ins-"

"Emma..." he reached out to grasp her wandering hand before it could slide inside the towel, and he twined his fingers with it, bringing it up to his chest.

"Seriously," she continued. "You don't have to be a martyr here. What your Princess doesn't know won't hurt her."

He gave her a wry smile. "What my Princess doesn't know is already hurting her. And me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he said, kissing her fingertips, "That no matter how ungodly tempting a morsel you are, I have to remain a gentleman for the time being."

"Careful," she said, with a slow, calculated grin. "You're starting to sound like a challenge."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, then turned and walked through the door to her room. Killian massaged the side of his aching jaw, then grabbed his clothes and started pulling them on.

A short time later, Mr. Smee appeared as requested, and Killian ushered him in.

"Just a moment, Smee."

He knocked on the adjoining door and waited a moment, then knocked again.

"Are you looking for Emma, sir?"

Killian looked over his shoulder. "She's not in there?"

"No, sir. She'd in the restaurant having pancakes. I didn't know you were including her in our conversation."

"Was she alone?" Killian asked, with a glower.

"Yes, I - I think so."

"We need to find her talisman. And her father's as well. I just have no bloody idea what his could be. His sword, perhaps?"

"What does his sword look like, sir?"

Killian rubbed his ear. "You know, for the number of times he's drawn it on me, you'd think I'd have it committed to memory, but I doubt I'd recognize it. Emma would, though. Whom else can we enlist?"

"I don't know, sir. The only other person I can think of, I doubt you'd want to talk to."

Killian's brows knit together. "The Dark One."

"Only, he's not The Dark One here. He's Rufus, our town librarian."

"He's without magic?" At Smee's answering nod he froze for a moment. He could end the man easily, if he were without magic, particularly if he was laboring under the delusion that he was the town librarian. He could end him and bring David back to himself, and there wouldn't _be_ a Dark One anymore. He drew in a gust of air when he realized he'd stopped breathing.

Priorities, Killian. The man may have some usefulness. He may know where to find the others, or the compass. Once he got what he needed, he'd see to the demon.

"And no sign of Regina?" he asked Smee. "What about Belle?"

"No to either, sir," Smee replied. "I'm sorry."

"I need as many allies as I can get," Killian said, pacing. "And I need allies who might be able to shed some light on the magic at work here." He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and headed for the door.

"Come along, Smee."

"Uh, Captain - I need to get back to the kitchen, sir," Smee said apologetically. "The pancakes aren't going to cook themselves. I told Will I'd only be gone a minute."

"Will? Will Scarlet? He's in the restaurant?"

"Well, of course he is, sir," Smee answered. "He's my waiter."

Killian threw open the door, heading down the hallway at a dead run. He caught sight of Emma, sitting in a booth, laughing at something her companion - whom he could only see from the back - was saying.

He came to a skidding halt, and his hook clamped down on the man's shoulder, pulling him up and out of the booth. Killian pulled his arm back to lay him out with a punch when Robin's voice finally registered.

"Killian! What the hell!"

"Yeah, Killian," Emma said with a smirk. "What's the problem? Can't a girl have breakfast with a prince around here?"

Killian dropped his fist. "Sorry, mate. Wasn't expecting you."

"I told you I'd come after you if you weren't back in ten hours," Robin reminded.

"So you did," Killian said. "My apologies. We've hit some complications."

"Obviously," Robin agreed, gesturing around. "Where are the giants?"

"Dunno," Emma said, stuffing her face with a forkful of pancakes. "But Killian's right at home here."

Robin looked at Killian. "Come again?"

"I've had some dealings with people from this land," Killian supplied, gesturing for Robin to sit back down. He slid into the booth next to Emma. "I wasn't expecting it to be here, however."

"Were you able to find the compass?" Robin asked.

Killian shook his head. "Not yet. But I believe we might...uh...might know where it is." His eyes slid sideways to Emma, who blinked at him owlishly, the picture of complete innocence...all except for the hand she'd just slid onto his thigh under the table.

"Yeah, we're looking," Emma said to Robin, "But's it's just so _hard_." She punctuated the word by sliding her hand further over, right onto Killian's crotch and giving it a friendly squeeze. "We're hoping we can get in on the _inside_," she continued. "There's definitely a need to go deeper. _Much_ deeper."

She squeezed again and Killian's eyes narrowed, promising retribution. She held his gaze, and her smirk promised that she'd like that retribution._A lot._

Killian casually slid his hook under the table, looping it over her arm and replacing her hand on her own leg. Emma rolled her eyes and ate some more pancakes.

"We believe the compass may be in the possession of The Dark One," Killian said. "He's known by another name here."

Robin's eyes widened. "The Dark One! I've heard the legends, of course, but...he exists? He actually exists?"

"Oh, he exists, all right." Emma's voice turned hard. "And you'd better come up with a plan in the next thirty seconds, or I'm going after him myself. I'm tired of waiting around."

"Perhaps a diversion?" Robin suggested. "If we could find an armory - "

"No." Killian stared at Robin. "No - not swords. We'd be better off with something different."

Robin looked at him quizzically. "What do you suggest?"

"I don't know," Emma interjected, licking the pancake syrup off her fork with a swirling tongue. "I like the good, hard thrust of a sword." She glanced up at Killian, smiling placidly.

Killian took in a breath, trying to keep a leash on his growing temper. His arm shot out, grabbing Will Scarlet as he walked past and nearly causing him to drop a tray of pancakes and eggs.

"Oi!" Will protested.

"Get me Smee." Killian's voice was a growl, as Will shook his arm off.

"All right," he said. "Don't get your knickers in a twist." He set the plates down at a nearby table, and headed off to the back. Mr. Smee rushed through the doors a moment later.

"Captain? You needed to see me?"

"Captain?" Robin questioned.

"I have ship now, remember?" Killian said.

"Not for long," Emma grumbled under her breath. Killian raised a brow and gave her a look and she stared back, stoney-faced.

"Mr. Smee," Killian continued. "Where in town might we find a bow?"

"A bow, sir? Probably the hardware store. That would be your best bet."

"A bow?" Robin looked skeptical.

"Trust me."

Robin nodded, then turned his attention to Smee. "I don't suppose you have a room I can use for a short time? It was a long climb, and I'd love a bath."

"There's a shower in my room," Killian said. "It's like a bath but you remain standing."

Robin shrugged. "I'll manage."

Killian passed him the room key. "Just down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thanks. I'll be back shortly." He gave Emma a nod and took his leave. Killian signalled Mr. Smee for some pancakes and then moved to take Robin's seat, opposite Emma.

"Running away, are we?" she said, smirking over the top of her coffee cup.

He leaned in, lowering his voice. "You have got to get a grip on yourself."

"I was getting a grip," she purred. "Didn't you like it?"

"Stop."

"Or would you rather I paid attention to this?" She reached across the table, stroking his hook with caressing fingers. "This could be fun..."

"Emma." His voice bit out a warning.

"Calm down, loverboy," she said, rolling her eyes.

Will Scarlet chose that moment to arrive with the pancakes.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked Emma.

She opened her mouth to answer him, but Killian talked right over her.

"Get out."

"I work here," Will reminded him.

Killian reached up, gripping Will's collar in his fist and pulling his face down to eye level. "Not today, you don't." His eyes held Will's and Will slowly straightened up.

"I suppose I could use a bit of time off," he said. "I'll just...see myself out."

"Do that." Killian dismissed him, digging into his pancakes. They ate in silence for several tense minutes.

Finally, Emma pushed her plate aside and sat back in the booth with a sigh.

"You are seriously no fun," she said. "No one with a face like that should be such a total waste of time."

Killian paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and gave her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm done here," Emma said, sliding out of the booth. "I've got better places to be."

"Wait!" Killian called, following her down the hallway. "Where do you think you're going?"

She didn't stop walking. "I'm going to get my stuff, and then I'm getting out of here. I've got things I need to do, and apparently, you're not one of them."

She put the key in her door and had just started to open it when Killian pushed her inside and shut it behind him.

"Now you listen to me," he said, backing her up as he spoke. Emma's legs hit the side of the bed and she went down on her back. Killian kept right on going, bringing himself down on top of her. Emma's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly, her breathing accelerating as he brought his face close to hers.

"You are far from done with me, love," he said in a low, crooning voice. "I have plans for us."

"Oh you d- "

"Shush." He put a finger to her lips before going on. "I have many, many plans for us, and some of them involve that succulent body in all sorts of exhausting, ecstasy-inducing positions. I'm going to kiss you and stroke you and rub and touch and inflame you until you are a vibrating mass of sensation, reduced to your basest, most animal urges. I'm going to have you whimpering, sobbing, screaming your pleasure and when you're done, I'm going wrap my fist in your hair, drive myself deep, and start all over again."

He tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling gently as his lips brushed hers. "We're going to burn together, you and I. I swear to you, Emma, we're going to incinerate from the force of it."

His lips finally settled on hers, and true to his words, she let out a whimper when his mouth pulled away from hers to move on her neck, sucking and pulling at her skin, licking and trailing fire while he pressed his body against her. He kissed her once more, lingeringly, then he pulled away again. They were both breathing harshly, and Emma finally found her voice.

"Let me guess...that time isn't now."

He gave her a slight smile and brushed his lips against hers. "No, love, it's not. I wish it could be. You can't imagine how badly."

"Well don't suffer too long," she said, reaching up to push the hair off his forehead. "I like you, Killian, but I get bored easy."

He pushed himself to his feet, offering her a hand up. The sound of a door opening and closing again alerted them both that Robin was done with his shower and most likely looking for them.

"We'd better get him before he leaves," Emma said.

"You're right."

She walked over to the door and had just grabbed the knob when his voice stilled her hand.

"Emma?"

She glanced back over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I'll see that you don't get bored in the meantime. I promise."


	8. Discoveries

_**Hello readers! I do hope you enjoyed those last two chapters - God knows I did!**_

_**I want to announce the new cover art for books 1 and 2 of the Seeder series are in place. **__**I really need some reviews! Especially on Amazon, where my titles are all new. I could really use some reviews on Eight Nights At Sea on Smashwords, as well. So do me a solid if you have the time, and throw me some reviews...pretty please? It's all I want for Christmas, I promise. OK, that and a life-size, vibrating Killian Jones pillow.**_

_**Speaking of...let's get back to our story.**_

* * *

><p>"What makes you think a bow is going to help us against The Dark One?" Robin asked as they pushed open the door to the hardware store. "Won't he see that coming?"<p>

"It's not about him, mate."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked. "Either we're working on a plan or we're not."

"We are," Killian reassured her. "But this has to be handled with some stealth. Hence, the bow."

"You gonna shoot him in his sleep?" Emma asked incredulously.

"I hate to take sides, Killian," Robin said, "But I have to agree with her. This seems a waste of time."

Killian stared at his friend. "How long have we known each other?"

Robin shook his head. "Killian - "

"How long?" he repeated.

"All our lives," Robin said. "Our kingdoms border each other and they've been allied for centuries. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Based on all that, I'm asking you to trust me," Killian said.

"You've got a strategy."

"Something like that," Killian replied. "Now, you walk over to that wall and pick out a bow...and look hard. Find a good one. One that...fits." He turned to Emma. "And you - see if they have any swords."

"I thought we weren't using swords," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Robin isn't using a sword," he explained patiently. "You are."

"I have a sword," she said, tapping the hilt on her cutlass.

"Then get one for me," he snapped in exasperation. "Just give them a glance over and find one that looks right."

"Looks _right_?" Emma raised her hands in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

He reached out, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "Trust me."

Emma looked over at Robin. "Trust him," she smirked.

Robin shrugged, and Emma pulled her hand back from Killian. "Okay...I'm off to find just the right sword," she called over her shoulder in a patronizing voice as she sauntered off toward the back of the store.

"And I'll be getting a bow that _fits_," Robin said, walking toward the wall of bows. "I hope you know what you're doing, Killian."

"So do I, mate," Killian grumbled under his breath. He followed Robin over the the wall display, which held several types of bow. Robin paused in front of them, putting a hand to his chin as he studied them.

"Perhaps you should pick them up," Killian suggested. "Try their weight in your hands."

Robin raised his brows. "All right," he said, reaching out for the first one. His hand stopped part-way, then shifted slightly to the right, hovering over the next bow on the wall.

"I say, Killian - what do you think of this one?"

Killian looked at him intently. "Why? Do you like it?"

"It seems...different than the others. Bigger, perhaps. The craftsmanship is excellent."

"Well, give it a go," Killian suggested with a smile. Robin reached out, wrapped his fingers around the bow - and promptly froze. He blinked a few times, but didn't move a muscle.

Killian moved up beside him. "Robin?"

Robin's head turned as if he were startled. "Killian - what's going on here?"

Killian glanced over toward Emma, who had her back to them, perusing a wall of shotguns, and then turned back to Robin. "You know who you are, mate?"

"Yes. Both incarnations. What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you in a moment, but first - let go of the bow."

Robin gave him a confused look, but he stepped back, releasing his hold on the bow. "Now what?" he asked Killian.

"Still know who you are?"

"Yes. Killian - why is Storybrooke at the top of a damned beanstalk?"

Killian shook his head. "I don't know yet. But at least now we know that once you touch your talisman, you become yourself again. I was afraid you might have to maintain the contact for it to work."

"My talisman?" Robin looked up at the bow on the wall again. "I suppose that makes sense. I'm never without my bow. What was yours?"

"A piece of the Jolly Roger. I happened to be holding it when everything went to hell, and I've remained myself throughout." Killian glanced over his shoulder. "The same cannot be said for most everyone else, however, including Emma."

Robin looked over at Emma, who was now staring at a glass case full of hunting knives. "You haven't found Emma's talisman?"

"I'm hoping that it's the compass, but her father is now The Dark One, so retrieving it will be problematic. I'm hoping Emma can recognize his sword - I would imagine that would be his talisman."

"Who else have you brought round?" Robin asked.

"Just my bos'n, Mr. Smee. I'm hoping we can find others, but it's not going to be an easy task."

"Any sign of my son? Or Regina?"

"Sorry, mate. Not yet. We could really use Regina. There's magic afoot here."

"What are you two jabbering about," Emma asked, walking up to them. "And looking for a sword is a lost cause in this place. Even the daggers are pretty small."

"Robin and I were working on a plan," Killian replied. "He thinks he may be able to conceal himself near The Dark One's house. We'll search the shop after he leaves for the evening, and if something triggers an alarm and he tries to return, Robin can stop him before he gets a foot out his door. He'll never see it coming."

"So we have to wait till dark," Emma said.

"It appears so," Killian answered. "In the meantime, we can walk the town...question the locals."

"An excellent idea!" Robin hastily interjected. "I'll check out the forest. There may be others encamped there."

"Good thinking," Killian agreed. "Emma and I will start here, at the various shops."

"Sounds thrilling," she said dryly.

Killian walked her over to the door, holding it wide for her.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Around. Why don't we go and visit the mayor?" Killian suggested. "Perhaps she can give us a bit more information about the town."

"She? How do you know the mayor is a woman?"

"I don't," Killian said. "The mayor could be anyone. Anyone at all."

She moved around in front of him, walking backwards. "Okay, so spill it. You and Robin are planning something, and you're not clueing me in."

His step hesitated, mostly because he didn't want to run into her, but she took it as confirmation. "Hey!" she said, putting a hand on his chest. "I'm serious, here. And I might be able to help."

"Help with what?" Killian asked. "I've told you the plan so far."

She put her hands on her hips. "Not all of it. I heard you talking about Regina."

He reached out, clamping his hand on her arm. "You know where Regina is?"

"Well, not exactly...but I've run into her once or twice. I could find her, for the right price."

"And how, exactly, do you know her?" Killian queried.

"Are you kidding?" Emma looked at him like he was crazy. "Regina the bandit queen? Who doesn't know her?"

"Bandit queen?"

"She used to have a kingdom, till George deposed her. Now she's on the run and she's pretty much making his life hell where she can," Emma explained. "She tried to book passage with me once, then she changed her mind. Haven't seen her since but the wanted posters say she's still around." She looked at him suspiciously. "How is it you're from the Enchanted Forest and you don't know all this?"

"I don't deal with common riff-raff," he lied. "And Regina's been gone so long we all thought her dead."

"Well, George's army has been ta- oof!" Emma was cut off as a nearby door opened, slamming into her back and shoving her at Killian. He grabbed as she fell into him.

"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, miss."

Emma turned to look at the man who opened the door. "It's okay. I'm the one who was standing in the way."

Killian's eyes went wide as he took in this new, bizarre Rumplestiltskin. The man was wearing a long, flowing shirt with a flowered print, and his long hair was secured with a beaded headband that went across his forehead. On his nose was perched a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles. He was the picture of peace and tranquility.

"I'm Rufus," he said, extending his hand with a friendly smile. "I don't think I've seen you around Storybrooke before."

"We're new in town," Emma explained. She shoved a thumb over her shoulder. "This is Killian. He's a prince or something."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes went wide. "A prince? That's heavy. Never met a prince before." He held out a hand to Killian, who paused a moment and then shook it.

"Please, just call me Killian," he said, forcing a smile. "We were just on our way to the mayor's office."

"Oh, Mayor Anton! He's placid. You'll like him." He smiled apologetically at Emma. "I was just running out to my car - I left a couple of books on the seat. I wasn't expecting anybody to be standing here."

"No harm done," Emma said.

"Let's go." Killian put a hand to the small of her back to guide her forward, but she stopped suddenly.

"That's what you get around in?" She asked Rumplestiltskin. "How do you even fit?"

Killian rolled his eyes impatiently as Emma turned to follow the librarian over to his car - his bright yellow car.

"Swan..."

He said it just as her hand connected with the roof, and he watched the shockwave ripple through her body.

She staggered back, and he rushed forward. Rumplestiltskin was faster, catching her before she could hit the ground.

"Are you all right?" he asked Emma. "I've got some herbal tea inside. You're welcome to come in and sit for a while if you need to."

"No...I..." she looked at him in confusion. "_Herbal tea_?"

"Swan." Killian reached out, taking her by the elbow.

"Killian - what just happened? What..." she shook her head, trying to clear it. "I don't understand."

He pulled her back around. "Walk with me, Swan."

"Are you two sure you don't want some tea? It has echinacea!" Rumple called out. Killian kept on walking.

"Am I to assume you just found your talisman?"

"Huh?"

He pulled her into the alley between two nearby buildings. "Dammit, Swan - are you back to normal?"

"You mean, am I a pirate?"

Killian's face fell. "Nevermind." He started to walk back out of the alley, but Emma grabbed his arm.

"Hey - wait! I meant...yes, I remember that I'm a pirate, but I'm also Emma Swan, sheriff of Storybrooke."

"Swan!" He pulled her in, kissing her soundly. "Thank God!"

"Yeah...guess it's been rough for you," she said, completely unable to meet his eyes. He reached out, lifting her chin with his fingers.

"You've tested me soundly, I'll give you that. And we'll address all that at a later date, I promise you, love. But just now, we need to figure out what the hell happened."


	9. Alone

_**Well, readers, we're coming up on a long and painful winter hiatus, but fear not - I have stories to keep you warm. After this tale winds up, I have another one raring to go featuring a new villian...somebody previously mentioned on OUAT but never explored. How's that for a tease? And suffice it to say, this villan will bring heartache and drama and all sorts of mayhem that will test our beloved characters - all of them - but especially Killian and Emma.**_

_**But for now...I've got this story to finish (and it's got a way to go still), I'm prepping the third installment of the Seeder Saga, got another paid writing gig, and I just hit a HUGE inspiration for a new series after Seeder winds down. Now, if I can just find time to do it all!**_

_**Thanks to all of you who've been sharing and tweeting out links to my newly-minted author page (brittdelaney dot com) or show recaps - I'm trying to build a brand name on this pen name as well, and it's all helping! And, of course, thank you ALL for reading my fics! You guys are amazing and supportive and creative and so very, very smart with your comments. The reviews really, really keep me going.**_

_**Now let's get back and see what we know about this puzzling, exasperating situation...**_

* * *

><p>Killian shut the door behind him, sitting down next to Emma on the edge of the bed as Robin pulled a chair over to face them. Mr. Smee was already sitting in the other chair, worrying the corner of his apron.<p>

"I can't stay long, sir," he apologized. "I have a lasagna in the oven."

Killian rolled his eyes. "We'll keep that in mind," he said. "What we need to do is figure out what we each remember before everything changed."

"I told you what I was doing," Smee said. "I was at the counter in the pharmacy buying cheese curls."

"And I was with my men," Robin said. "After the fire - we were looking for clues as to who might have set the fire in the forest."

"That's right!" Emma said, remembering. "There had been a fire, and after Regina and Gold put it out, we were trying to figure out who'd set it. The fire originated- "

"In an enchanted tree," Killian finished for her. "Regina was trying to figure out if that tree was targeted for it's properties-"

"But she couldn't tell entirely because there was very little of it left," Robin said. "It had burned to ash and most of that had blown away."

"And if she could find more enchanted wood, she could create a spell to figure out who did it and why," Emma continued. "Then Killian left to go and get something."

"Aye," Killian said. "I had a small piece of one of the Jolly's deck planks that I held as a keepsake. I'd just closed my hand around it when everything changed."

"I was at the Sheriff's station, along with Regina, my father, and Robin," Emma said. "And we all ended up in different places."

"There's no rhyme or reason to this," Robin said, clearly frustrated. "We've found your father, but who knows where Regina is."

Emma's eyes met Killian's, then shifted back to Robin. "I know. She's back in the Enchanted Forest, only she's not on the throne. She's on the run from George. And he's king. He didn't turn into someone else."

"And George was the one who broke into your apartment and took the compass," Killian reminded her.

"We don't know that for sure, but it's likely. Gold warned me about him and when I got to the apartment, the compass was gone. We couldn't find him anywhere, though."

"Two of my men spotted him on the outskirts of the forest, near the town line," Robin said. "But by the time we could get word to you, he was gone."

Emma nodded. "I remember." She leaned back on her hands, shaking her head. "What the hell could he have done?"

Killian stood, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "He created a portal."

"With the compass?" Robin asked.

"And the ash," Killian said. "Just like Cora did before. He surely heard the story of it after you returned. Everyone in town was talking about it."

"And you think he tried it for himself?" Emma's eyes widened. "That's nuts."

"Alas, George isn't the steadiest fellow," Robin replied.

"But the ash from the tree blew away," Emma said. There was nothing left and that was one massive tree. The wind had to have gotten to it."

"He only needed a handful," Killian reminded her. "And your father - or should I say "The Dark One" told me that whatever had thrown us here was portal magic."

"So George was creating a portal," Robin said. "But how did he manage to move some of us? And the whole town?"

"Sir?"

Smee's voice broke in to their musings. He cleared his throat nervously.

"I - he came to me, sir. Asked me to obtain something for him."

"When?" Emma asked.

"The day after the big fire. He approached me on the street and pulled me into an alley. Said he was laying low and couldn't be seen."

"And what was it he asked you to obtain?" Killian demanded.

"A wheelbarrow."

"A wheelbarrow?" Robin queried. "That's it?"

"And a shovel. That's all. I don't know what he needed them for, but he paid me well."

"Emma," Robin said. "We found a wheelbarrow on the north edge of the forest, where my men had seen George last. It was overturned and dirty, but there was nothing in it."

"Was he burying something?" Emma asked.

"Or someone?" Killian theorized. "You never know with George."

"Well, he obviously lost the compass when we all got thrown around," Emma said, "He wanted to find it, and badly."

"And he wanted my ship," Killian said. "A ship made of Enchanted Wood."

Robin shook his head in confusion. "So...now he wants to go _back_? After we've all just gotten here? At least he's still himself. Why leave now?"

"And why was he immune?" Emma asked. "If he opened the portal, he would have been the first one sucked in. Why didn't he get jumbled? And why can't the rest of us remember going through a portal?"

"That's not an experience that could go easily unnoticed," Killian agreed. "And a portal wouldn't have taken our memories."

Emma fell back on the bed, cramming her palms into her eyes. "This is so confusing. And frustrating."

Killian moved back over to sit beside her on the bed. "Well, the good news is, we know how to bring people back to themselves. We have to identify their personal talisman - something that ties them to their true selves. For Robin, that was the bow, Smee has his hat, and you have your car. Now we find the others and get them back to themselves."

Emma pushed herself up again. "We need Rumplestiltskin. Or Regina."

"Rumpletstiltskin's talisman is more than likely the Dark One's dagger," Killian pointed out. "And since your father is The Dark One, he's not likely to hand it over - not without being brought back to being himself first."

Mr. Smee stood abruptly. "Sorry, sir - the lasagna..."

"Go on, Smee, but keep your eyes and ears open. We need information, and we're going to need to find personal items that will aide us in our job."

"Of course, sir." Smee headed out the door, and Robin got to his feet as well.

"I'm going to go and see if I can find my men around town," he said. "No one was in the forest, but it's possible there may be a few working in places I wouldn't expect."

"Let's meet back here after dinner," Emma suggested. "We'll compare notes on who we found."

Robin gave a nod and closed the door behind him.

"Killian." Emma turned to look at him. "Where's my mother?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her here, or back in the other realm, either - but we haven't searched the entire town yet."

"And Henry?"

Killian reached over, taking her hand. "I don't know. Perhaps he's with Regina."

Emma blinked hard. "Let's start knocking on doors. God only knows where he could be."

"We'll find him, love," he tried to reassure her. "He's an intelligent lad, with his mother's guts. He'll be all right."

Emma leaned her head against his shoulder, and he pulled her in, folding her into his arms.

###

"Now then," said the woman behind the desk. Her graying hair was shoved into a mussy bun on her head, and her desk had stacks of paper all over it. She opened the manilla folder, pulling out a sheaf of papers and began leafing through. She peered over the top of her reading glasses.

"You say you don't know where your mother is?"

"That's right."

"And your father?"

"He's dead."

The woman pulled a paper from the stack, flipping it around and shoving it across the desk. "And that's your last known address?"

"Yeah."

"But you haven't been to school in months," the woman said. "Or even at that address. Where have you been living? On the streets?"

"Something like that."

The woman obviously had little patience for vague answers, but she wasn't unkind. She folded her hands on top of the papers and looked thoughtful.

"Henry, you were found wandering a highway in Maine, with only the clothes on your back and your school backpack, dozens of miles from the nearest town. You're very lucky you were found by the state police when you were, or something serious could have happened." She took a breath, and gave him a knowing look. "I don't know where your mother is, but it's a good bet that when and if she does come looking for you, she'll come back to New York. And since she's got some experience with Child Protective Services herself, she'll know where to come looking."

"But that's just it - she'll be in Maine and-"

"Henry - you're a resident of the state of New York, and as a minor resident, you fall under the jurisdiction of New York CPS. Now, I've arranged a foster home for you until we get all the answers. It's a safe place, and not that far from your old neighborhood. Maybe you can reconnect with some old friends?" She forced a smile, hoping to get one from him, with no luck.

"Officer Cooper will be taking you over to the home," she said, signing the bottom of one of the papers and shoving it back into the folder. "If you can think of any information - anything at all - that could help us find your mother..." she pushed a business card across the desk at him. "Call me. I want to help you, Henry. I really do."

"I know you do," he said. "But it's not that easy." He picked up his backpack, and walked with the officer to the car. The ride to the foster home took half an hour, and it was after dinner when he arrived. He ate a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and he was shown to his room, where he slid his backpack under his bed before climbing between the sheets.

"Hey kid," came a voice from the next bed. "I'm Vince."

"Henry."

"They say your Mom left you on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere."

"That's not true," Henry said vehemently. "Something happened."

"Yeah," Vince snorted. "Nobody cares about you, that's what happened. Just like the rest of us."

Henry rolled over, giving Vince his back, and screwed his eyes shut.

Eventually, he managed to sleep.


	10. Stay

"We need information. Magical information," Emma said, lowering her voice as she, Killian and Robin sat in a booth at Granny's, finishing up their dinner. "Regina's back down the beanstalk, and Rumplestiltskin's a hippie librarian."

"Maybe he's exactly what we need," Killian said. "He's got access to lots of information. Perhaps he can find an old spellbook or tome that may instruct us. And there's also a chance that he may know Henry's whereabouts."

"You're right," Emma agreed. "So we talk to Rumple- I mean Rufus - to see what he knows. Then what? Back down the beanstalk?"

"That's my vote," Robin interjected. "If we don't have access to Rumplestiltskin, we need Regina more than ever. The trick is figuring out what her talisman could be."

"A crown?" Killian suggested.

"Or a tight dress," Emma smirked. "Maybe something associated with Henry or her life here - like the gavel in the mayor's office or something."

"The book." Robin rubbed his fingers across his chin. "It's the book. She's been determined to find the author - and it ties her to Henry."

"I kinda think that would be more Henry's talisman than hers," Emma said. "But maybe it could work for both of them?"

"So where do we find the book?" Killian asked.

Emma shrugged. "I guess we start with the library." She glanced up at the clock on Granny's wall. "It'll be closed by now. We're going to have to wait until morning."

"I've got Little John working on rounding up the rest of whatever Merry Men we can find," Robin said. "So far, we're not having much luck."

Emma swirled a french fry in a pool of ketchup. "How did you manage to bring him back to himself?"

"A roasted ham." Robin smiled. "The man does love to eat. Once I put it on the spit, it drew him like a moth to a flame."

"Well, that's another one to add to the roster," Killian said. "Smee managed to find another member of my crew, as well as Belle's father, and a few assorted others that I'm not familiar with. We brought two back around. No one had anything further to add in the way of details."

"I can't imagine we'll get much further tonight," Robin said, shoveling the last of his lasagna into his mouth. "I've taken a room for the night, since there seems to be no encampment in the woods that I can find."

"There's a lot to be said for a bed, mate," Killian pointed out, raising a brow.

Robin's eyes shifted from Killian to Emma. "Yes. Well, I'll say goodnight, then. See you both in the morning." He pushed himself up out of the booth and headed off down the hallway.

Emma continued eating, glancing over at Killian every so often, but not saying anything. Killian ate next to her in watchful silence, until he couldn't stand it anymore.

"All right, Swan. Let's have it out."

She turned her head to look at him, slightly startled. "Have what out?"

"You know what. Since when are you ever uncomfortable being alone with me? As soon as Robin left, you moved so far over I thought you'd melt into the wall."

"I was just...giving you room," she mumbled, dipping another fry in ketchup.

"Emma." He took her hand. "I know none of what happened before was really you. Why do you think I worked so hard to get you back to yourself?"

She stared down at the table. "I appreciate that."

He reached up, lifting her chin with his fingers. "You and I will continue from where we left off before all this mess swirled around us. As usual, it's only a minor diversion."

"Yeah. A really embarrassing, minor diversion."

"Don't be embarrassed, love." He held her eyes, raising his brows to give her that smile that never failed to warm her all over.

"Come on. We've got a lot to do tomorrow." She nudged him until he slid out of the booth, extending a hand to help her to her feet.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Well, I _am_ a prince," he said. "I've got to brush up on my courtly manners."

"And apparently, I'm a pirate," she said, keeping hold of his hand as they walked down the hallway.

"And a bloody good one," he added. "You had everyone fooled but me."

She shot him a sideways grin. "I learned from the best."

They reached the door, and Killian brought her hand up to his lips. "I suppose we should get some sleep," he said, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles.

"Are you kidding me?" She looked up at him with raised brows. "I don't get a goodnight kiss? Just because I'm not a freewheeling pirate anymore doesn-"

Her words were swallowed up by his mouth, closing down over hers, plying her lips gently and thoroughly, then growing more insistent as he put that familiar burn low in her belly. It was impossible to forget how he'd felt against her...the way he'd moved on her...

He stepped back so abruptly, she caught her breath on a gasp. "Goodnight, Emma," he said it quietly.

"Killian." She managed his name, but didn't think she could do much more without leaning in for another kiss. She fumbled behind her for the doorknob, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She leaned back, closing her eyes and letting out a loud sigh.

"It's about time, luv," Will said, lounging on the bed. "Thought I was going to have to wait all night."

Emma's eyes snapped open. "What the hell are you doing here?" She pushed away from the door, and it was a good thing, too, because the door flew open exactly half of a second later.

"You!"

Killian charged through the doorway and Will jumped off the bed, holding a pillow protectively in front of him.

"Don't be going crazy," he said. "She invited me!"

"What?" Killian turned to look at Emma, who had the grace to look chagrined.

"Uh...yeah. He's right." She looked over at Will. "But this is me _un_inviting you. You need to leave."

"All right, all right..." he moved slowly around the bed, keeping a wary eye on Killian before throwing the pillow in his face and making a break for the door. Killian turned to follow, but Emma put a hand on his arm.

"Killian."

"Bloody bastard, thinks he can just lie in wait - "

"Killian. It's okay." She reached up, sliding a hand around his neck.

"Did you really invite that blighter to your room?" He pointed emphatically at the door.

Emma bit her lip and winced. "Yeah, I sort of did. But that was before you got me back."

"But you were going to -" he blustered, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yep. And I would have with you, too, if you remember. I even chose you over him."

"And you know bloody well why I didn't take advantage," he growled, still rocking on his heels with the need to follow Will out the door. Emma reached around behind him, pushing the door shut.

"There. Now you're on this side of the door, and he's on that side," she smirked. "Feel better?"

He took in a deep, cleansing breath. "Slightly."

"You're going to sleep in front of my door tonight, aren't you?"

"I'm considering it." He ground his teeth, clearly still annoyed.

She peeked up at him, biting her lip to repress a smile.

"What?" he snapped.

"The jealous thing. It's...cute."

"Cute?" he said incredulously. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm a pirate, love. I am never 'cute.'"

"Oh, you're cute, all right. Maybe even adorable." She leaned up, kissing him softly.

"Adorable?" he murmured, kissing her back. "I'm not sure that's better."

"Yes, it is," she kissed him again.

"Careful, Swan," he said, kissing her once more. "A man's like to get ideas."

"You mean," she said, kissing him, "he's likely to think I'm inviting him to stay?"

Killian froze.

"Are you?" he asked.

She looked up at him, and her gaze was steady. "Yeah. I am."

He stared at her hard, his hand coming up to cup her face. "We don't have to rush anything, love."

"You call this rushing? We've been dating for a while now."

"But these last two weeks have been...unsettling for us both."

She smiled. "For you more than me, I think."

He gave a quiet laugh. "That's the truth of it." He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. "All the same, I don't want you to feel like we have to take it further just because the agenda got pushed forward a bit - "

"Killian."

"And I don't want you to feel like I'm expecting - "

"_Killian_."

He looked at her expectantly, wisely shutting his mouth.

"This is my decision. Me. The real me. And you're talking too much."

"Bloody hell - I'm glad we got that out of the way," he said in a rush, pushing her toward the bed. He turned at the last minute, sitting down on it, and pulling her into him.

His hand settled on her hip before sliding down, grazing her leg and urging her onto his lap. She heard him suck in his breath as settled herself on him, straddling him. His arms tightened, and he pulled her onto him as his mouth claimed hers again.

He was hot all over, anywhere she touched, and his hand seemed to be everywhere, lingering just where she needed it to. He pulled her hard against him, and she felt the throbbing length of him as he pushed into the spread of her legs. Her mouth left his as she gasped, leaning her head back to push her breasts and body tighter against him. Oh God, just remembering how this had ended the last time...

Killian's warm hand cupped her buttocks, lifting her and rocking her, rubbing her against the rock hard bulge in his pants. His mouth skimmed her neck, moving down across her collarbone, biting and sucking strongly on her breasts right through the thin material of her shirt. She moaned, clutching him tightly as her entire world condensed to the area between her legs and the need to rub, press and rub some more on his hardness.

"Please..." she panted. "I want you inside me this time..."

He smiled and she felt it against her neck. "Patience, love..." he murmured. "I promised you...we'd burn..."

He turned swiftly, rolling her beneath him, and in no time at all he managed to help her rid herself of her clothing - and his own, as well. His hand return to its task, rubbing, caressing, and her hands were wild on his back, in his hair, running up and down the length of him until he thought he'd go mad from it and from the feel of her beneath him. At last, she pulled him into her, and he slid inside with a low hiss that she echoed, her eyes clenching shut as she reveled in the feel of him.

He tried to take it slow, to prolong it and drown in every scalding, shuddering second of sensation, but his body - and hers - were fighting that with every thrust, every roll of his hips, every brush of her breasts against his chest.

Her thighs tightened around him, and her hips moved more quickly, almost without a connection to her brain. Killian noticed it, too, pulling her in even tighter and quickening his movements as she let out a shattered cry. He kept her pulsing a few moments longer, pulling her thighs out and moving harder against her until true to his word, he poured himself into her, the pleasure burning through him in an endless stream of fire until he was sure he'd been consumed entirely.

It felt like a long, long time before he was able to move.

"Apologies, love," he groaned. "I'm sure I'm heavy..."

He started to roll off her, but her arms came around him. "Not yet," she said, "Don't go yet."

"I'm not leaving the bed," he promised. "God's truth - I don't think I can."

"Mmmm," she answered, not able to give him much more than that. He slid down next to her, pulling her in to rest her head on him.

She let out a sigh as she rubbed her face into the soft hair on his chest. "So worth the wait..." she breathed.

"Aye. It was." He kissed the top of her head softly. "And thank you for not making me wait much longer. A man can only take so much provocation."

She smiled, a slow, sated smile. "Can't blame a girl for going after what she wants," she yawned. "And I thought you liked me as a pirate."

"You're an excellent pirate," he said. "But I always knew you would be." He let out a chuckle. "Get some sleep, love. We really do have a mess to start cleaning up tomorrow."

Emma yawned again.

"Same old, same old," she said, and her eyes drifted shut as his arms tightened around her.


	11. Between

_**Hello, my darling readers. I apologize for the tardiness of this update (you know I'm usually pretty good with this stuff). The truth is, my father is here spending the holidays with me, and he lives nearly two thousand miles away, so that doesn't happen often. He's also in his late seventies, so every Christmas we get together is doubly precious. I trust you'll forgive if I spend more time laughing with my Dad than opening a laptop.**_

_**I do plan to wind this fic up around the New Year, though, or shortly thereafter. We've still got some more story to tell and more people to save from themselves, so let's get that rolling, shall we?**_

* * *

><p>Emma woke up to find Killian propped up on one elbow, smiling down at her, and it occurred to her fleetingly that this wasn't a bad way to wake up. Not at all.<p>

"What?" she mumbled self-consciously. "Did I drool in my sleep or something?" she ran a hand over her face, rubbing at her eyes.

"No. You look lovely. I'm quite content to sit here and just look."

She smiled a sleepy half-smile. "You're not too hard on the eyes, either, you know."

"I know." He gave her a cocky grin.

She turned her head to look out the window. "What time is it? It's still gray outside."

"It's early. You can sleep some more, if you'd like." He laid down, facing her. "And I'll try not to stare."

"Really?" Emma rolled her eyes. "It's not like a grew another nose overnight. Still the same old me."

He shook his head. "No you're not. You're the woman who shared my bed last night."

She raised her brows. "I would imagine you've met _a lot_ of those."

"They weren't you." He said it simply, but the heat in his eyes seemed to travel straight down her body, sending her blood coursing through her veins. She slid her arms around his neck as he leaned in, but he barely touched his lip to hers when a knock sounded at the door.

"Emma?" Robin's voice sounded from the other side.

She glared at the door. "Yeah, just a minute!" she called out.

"I'm going to head down to breakfast - have you seen Killian?"

"I know where he is. I- I'll get him and we'll meet you down there!"

"So much for our morning," Killian said, with a good deal of grumpiness.

"You can shower first," she offered magnanimously.

"Care to join me?" He lifted a brow, giving her his most devious, flirtatious smile, and she very nearly caved.

"If I join you, Robin will have to meet us for lunch," she smirked.

"I like that plan."

"Me, too," she said, and they looked at each other for a long, charged moment before Emma let out a sigh.

"Come on," she said. "Might as well get moving." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched with a groan. "If I can even move, that is."

And if she hadn't been so busy staring at his backside, she would have seen the thoroughly smug look on the face of one devilishly handsome pirate.

###

They walked down the street after breakfast in the bright morning sunlight, heading toward the town library.

"You're in a gratingly good mood this morning," Robin said, nudging Killian.

"Am I?" Killian turned his head, smiling widely.

"You were grinning like a simpleton all through breakfast," Robin observed.

"Of course he's happy," Emma said innocuously. "It's a beautiful day."

"Everyone we know is missing, confused, or both," Robin pointed out, reaching for the library door. "I fail to see how that makes for a beautiful day."

Emma paused in the doorway, reaching out to touch Robin's arm. "Hey, we're going to find Roland. And Henry. We'll find them all."

Robin's eyes were tight, but he managed a nod. Emma stepped inside, blinking a moment as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Hello?" she called out. "Rumple - uh - Rufus? You around?"

"Over here," Rumple called out. "I was in the back making some new book covers." He held up a crochet hook, with a half-worked design hanging from it, trailing yarn.

"O...kay," Emma said, raising her brows and looking over at Killian. "We were wondering if you might have a certain book."

Rumple smiled gesturing at the shelves. "It's all about books here. Do you have a title?"

"Once Upon A Time," answered Robin. "Its a very large book of fairy tales."

"Doesn't sound familiar," Rumple said, laying his crochet down on a nearby cart. "We can check over in mythology and folklore." He motioned for Robin to follow him, and they walked off between the shelves.

"Let's check over this way," Emma suggested. "That book has a habit of just appearing. I think we should search the room."

"Good idea," Killian said, grinning.

Emma lowered her voice and pulled him off to the side. "Will you cut that out?"

"What?" He looked at her, baffled.

"All the smiling. You really are going overboard, here."

"Can't help myself, love," he reached out, pulling her into him. "I waited a long time for last night."

Her face softened. "Yeah, so did I."

"Ah, but I've got centuries on you, Swan. Centuries."

She closed her eyes as he dropped a gentle kiss on her lips.

"All the same," she sighed, "It's a bit much. You were even singing in the shower."

"I always sing when I bathe," he said, still smiling. "Consider it an added bonus."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smirked. "Now let's find that book."

She reached for the nearest stack of books, pulling them off one by one and working her way through. Killian moved over to the shelf, his fingers tracing the spines as he walked down the aisle. Emma finished her cart and headed down the next aisle, nearly bumping into Rumple again.

"Oh, sorry!" Emma stepped back.

Rumple smiled. "It seems we're destined to run into each other, Miss...?"

"Swan," Emma replied. "Just call me Emma."

Rumple froze for a solid ten seconds, and Emma watched him warily.

"Rufus? Is something wrong?"

"There are several things wrong, here," Rumple said. "The least of which is that my name is no longer Rufus."

Realization dawned on Emma's face. "You remember."

"Indeed. Thanks to a failsafe from the original curse. Your name is enchanted. It's brought my memories back."

"Robin, Killian!" Emma called out. A moment later, Killian's face appeared around the corner of the bookshelf, and Robin came running around from the other end.

"What's amiss?" Killian looked alarmed.

"Have you found the book?" Robin asked.

"No," Emma replied. "Rumplestiltskin's back to normal."

Rumple held up a hand. "Not quite, Miss Swan."

"You said my name enchanted your memories back."

"And so it did," he agreed. "But I'm afraid that's all it brought me. Wherever we are, whatever is going on - I seem to have no magic at my disposal. None at all." He waved his hand through the air, and nothing happened. His eyes briefly landed on Killian - who was staring at him intently - before they shifted away.

"Why didn't you go back to normal?" Emma asked.

"Perhaps you'd better fill me in on what you know, Miss Swan."

Emma nodded, motioning him over to a table nearby, where they all took a seat.

"Here's the deal," Emma said, folding her hands in front of her on the table. "Nearly two weeks ago, we all suddenly woke up thrown into various places, and with no memory of our former lives."

"Yet we retained much of who we were," Killian added.

"And Killian was spared entirely," Robin pointed out. "How is that? I never did ask."

"I was holding a piece of the deck from the Jolly Roger - a bit of a memento. It was my talisman, obviously, but I believe I survived the worst of it because the Jolly was made from enchanted wood."

"That's right," Emma said, remembering. "We sent you to get it."

"Yes," Rumple said, musing. He steepled his fingers together. "George went after the magical compass, then most likely collected the ash from the enchanted tree that brought you to Storybrooke as a baby. Yet when we went to collect some of the ash to try to trace where he took the rest, there was none to be found."

"So you sent Killian for his piece of enchanted wood," Robin said.

"And that's when it happened," Emma finished. "George got thrown to the Enchanted Forest, which is at the bottom of a beanstalk. Storybrooke is at the top, everyone's turned around, and George must've lost the compass when he was tossed around because he's looking for it again."

"And who did George end up becoming?" Rumple asked.

"He's himself," Emma said. "Just like Killian."

"If he was holding the ash, that would make sense," Robin theorized. "He would have had the same protection as Killian. We found the wheelbarrow he'd been using."

"The one he'd procured from Mr. Smee," Killian filled in, "Along with a shovel."

"Miss Swan - did you say they'd found something suspicious at the docks?" Rumple asked. "You got a call as we were waiting for the captain."

"Yeah," Emma said, wrinkling her brow. "It was Henry. He was down at the docks and he found a big pile of - " she stopped, her eyes growing wide. "Of ash. A big pile of ash. Right in the middle of the dock. He was telling me about it and then...we all got thrown to wherever."

"Why at the dock?" Robin asked, confused. "My men saw him in the north woods."

Rumple sucked in a breath and leaned back in his chair. "Oh, George..." he murmured. "What have you done?"

"What?" Emma asked warily. "You think you know what happened?"

Rumple pushed himself to his feet and paced over to the window, holding his hand up to touch the pane. "The whole town..." he said quietly.

Emma got up from her chair. "Come on, spill it. What the hell happened?"

Rumple turned slowly from the window. "What happened is that our good friend George is a rank amateur. This is why you leave magic to the people who actually practice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she prodded.

"George obviously sought to recreate the portal that brought you and your mother back to Storybrooke. Unfortunately for George, and for us, he wasn't content to take himself back to the Enchanted Forest. He sought to move the entire town."

"He tried to move an entire town through a portal?" Killian asked incredulously. "Is that even possible?"

"Of course it is," Rumple admonished. "But only if you have a powerful enough catalyst."

"Like the ash from a magical, enchanted tree," Emma said.

"No," Rumple folded his arms. "To move an entire town, you'd need a forest of enchanted trees. Or at the very least, several dozen, with the ash spread in a solid, unbroken line around the town. Robin and his men saw George in the North woods. Henry found ash at the docks which are - "

"East." Killian finished. "The docks border the town on the east."

"And I've no doubt he set piles to the south and west. Four piles of ash, thinking he was creating a line of sorts. Then he took the last handful of ash, and the compass, and tried to create the portal in the wishing well, expecting it to suck the entire town in after him."

"It worked on some of us," Robin said. "Killian, Emma and I were thrown to the other realm, though we hardly expected to find Storybrooke at the top of a beanstalk."

"Strange things happen when magic is improperly enacted, particularly something as strong as portal magic."

"You think you can undo it?" Emma asked.

"That would depend on two things," Rumple said. "First, we need to find out where we are."

"We're in Storybrooke," she reminded him.

"Not entirely. Storybrooke doesn't exist like this," Rumple explained. "It can't exist like this. Neither can the Enchanted Forest, for that matter."

Emma raised both brows. "So...where are we...exactly?"

"Between."

"Between? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, Miss Swan, that we are neither place. Not really. Our worlds have been merged, and when that happened, we became encapsulated, as though in a magical 'bubble' of sorts. Wherever we are, we aren't where we think we are. We need to discover exactly where that is."

"And how do we go about doing that?" Killian asked.

"I would say that our best hope is to go after George, and to find that compass. If we can locate some enchanted wood, we can possibly reverse what George did, once we have all the information to do so."

"You said there were two things you needed to undo this," Emma said. "What's the other thing?"

"Well, Miss Swan, I'll need my magic. And yours, and Regina's. To reverse something this catastrophically botched, we'll need all of us. We can find Regina and get her back to herself, but I'm not there yet. I may have my memories, but I haven't touched my true talisman yet. To do that, I'll need to find my counterpart, and I'm willing to bet, he won't want to give that dagger up any more than I would have."

"No, he won't," Emma said. "In my alternate persona, I've had some dealings with him. He makes you look like a cream puff."

"And he is...?"

Emma's voice was flat. "My father."

Rumple's eyes widened infinitesimally. "Well. That's certainly unexpected," he commented dryly. "And I don't suppose his sword is in my shop?"

Emma turned to Killian. "Did you see it?"

"I didn't think to look. It's possible."

"Or it could be back in the Enchanted Forest," Robin brought up. "We have to go there anyway."

"And luckily for you, I can speed that journey up a bit," Rumple said, walking over to the elevator doors and turning the crank to open them. "This elevator drops down - "

"I know - into the caves," Emma said. "I've been there, remember?"

"Not this elevator," Rumple said. "It takes you directly to woods, just outside of Regina's castle."

"You mean George's castle," Emma said. "He took it over. She's on the run now."

"She's an outlaw?" Robin gave a crooked grin. "Really?"

Emma gave a reluctant smile. "Yeah. So I guess we need to find her, but first, we need to get my Dad to grab his sword."

"I could challenge him to duel," Killian suggested, rubbing his chin.

"He'd just kill you with magic," Emma said. "He wouldn't need the sword."

"She's right," Rumple agreed with a cold smile. "You'd hardly be a bother."

"Perhaps I could pose as someone looking for a sword?" Robin said. "Get him to pull it out for me."

"That's if the sword is even in the shop," Emma said, pushing her hair off her face in exasperation. "And if that doesn't work, then we riff on Killian's plan."

"Riff?" Killian questioned.

"We challenge him to a duel," Emma said, frowning. "Or at least, I do."

"Why you?" Killian demanded.

"Because he won't kill me outright," Emma said.

"You're sure of that?" Robin asked.

"Oh, yes," she answered firmly. "He'll want to see me suffer."


	12. Family Ties

"So, what aren't you telling me about your father, Swan?" Killian asked as they headed toward the docks.

"Nothing," Emma said brusquely.

"You obviously have a history," he pointed out. "At least as things are now."

"You could say that."

He reached out and held her arm, pulling her back. "Not so fast, love. You can't leave me in the dark, here. This might be necessary information."

She let out a sigh, shoving her fingers through her hair.

"He's my father."

"I know that, Swan, and that obviously makes for a delicate situation - "

"No, Killian - he's my father. There, and here. He's still my father."

"But..." Killian shook his head. "Neal..."

"Yeah. He killed him. As soon as he found out I was pregnant. Ripped his heart out right in front of me and crushed it. Only in this reality, I lost the baby, too."

Killian's lips parted and his face froze in horror. "You mean...?"

"Yeah. No baby. No Henry." She blinked a few times, then swallowed hard. "My father had Neal cornered. He was throwing charges at him, like lightning, one after the other. I jumped in front of Neal, and he got me instead. Once he saw what he'd done, he decided to get it over with more quickly, and ripped Neal's heart out instead. He healed me afterward, but it was too late for the baby."

"And that drove you to become a pirate?"

"I ran away. I knew he'd look for me, and I wanted to get as far away as I could. I disguised myself as a boy and signed on with a pirate ship as the cabin boy."

Killian raised his brows, giving her a look of pure disbelief.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, they caught onto me pretty quick. But I ended up the Captain's wench for a while, until I figured things out, dumped him overboard, and took over the ship."

He raised a brow, looking at her strangely. "That's a bit dark for you, Swan."

"I am my father's daughter, and he's not known for being a nice guy. Not here."

"I see. So you're a girl who lost everything, turned villain, and now you want vengeance."

"I did," she said. "I've been looking for him for the last few years. I thought if I could get the dagger, I could finally destroy him and get on with my life."

"Let me guess...he hasn't been on board with that plan," Killian suggested.

Emma shook her head. "That's an understatement. We've run into each other twice in the last five years, and both times ended badly. He killed half my crew in front of me and I almost got that damn dagger. That's when I learned that no matter what I do, he won't kill me. Apparently, family is still important to him."

"Perhaps that's our angle," Killian said. "You could make an overture - an attempt at reconciliation. Then ask him to find you a sword. If he's anything like Robin was with his bow, he'll feel a pull to the right one."

"I don't know if I can," she said.

"Emma, he's your father. You love the man - "

"He's not my father!" she shouted, her eyes filling with tears. "I mean...yes, he's my father. I know that. And I love him. I know he's not who he is right now. I know that. But I have all those memories and I just...I don't know that I can forget..."

Killian reached out, gently folding her into his arms. "It's all right, love. We'll find another way."

She shook her head against his shoulder. "No. You're right. He'll want to see me."

Killian closed his eyes, tightening his arms around her. "I can't even imagine what you must be feeling. And whether or not it really happened, you're still remembering it. It's still real to you."

Emma shook her head again. "No. That's not real." She reached up, cupping his face in her hands. "This - this is real. You. And me. This, I can trust. Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense." He kissed her long and lingeringly, his lips plying hers gently, with a sweetness that made her heart feel as though it would burst out of her chest.

"Whatever you decide," he said, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers. "I'll be right there. You don't have to face him, or any of those memories alone."

Emma stepped back and straightened her shoulders. "No. You can't come with me. I'll have to see him alone. If he gets the slightest idea that you and I are together - you're a dead man."

"I've fought that battle with your father before, love."

"Not like this," she said, putting a hand to his chest. "I mean it, Killian. He will kill you. As far as he's concerned, no man is good enough for me."

"So he's still your father, but with the powers of darkness behind him. Lovely."

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky and Robin will get him to touch the sword," Emma said. "Come on, let's see if we can find what Henry was talking about."

She quickened her pace and they rounded a corner, crossing the street to the pier. Killian walked right into Emma, causing her to stumble forward after coming to a complete stop in front of him.

"What the hell?"

Killian followed her eyes to where hers had frozen, and like her, his mind was having a hard time reconciling what his eyes were seeing. The pier just...ended. And part of the dock itself was gone, split in half lengthwise all down the length of it. It was clean and it was abrupt and it made absolutely no sense.

Emma walked forward slowly. "It's like the dock's been cut in half," she said. "How is that poss- ow!" She started violently and stumbled back a few paces.

Killian reached out, catching her before she fell. "Swan!"

She righted herself, sticking a hand out and walking forward again. She stopped when her hand would go no further. "It's a barrier," she said in disbelief. "Some kind of invisible barrier."

"The end of the world," Killian said, reaching his own hand out to feel it. "This must be where the line was drawn."

"There's not a lot of dock here," Emma said. Her eyes began to widen as the realization dawned on her. "What happened if you were on the other side of the line when everything changed?"

Killian turned his head sharply to look down the dock, then back at Emma. "I don't know."

###

"Give it back!"

"Make me!"

Voices shouted from behind the door, and Mrs. Reynolds knew exactly what that tone meant, particularly when it was being used by two teenage boys. She opened the door just as the larger boy took a swing at Henry, who ducked in the blink of an eye, dropping down and sweeping a leg out, knocking the boy off his feet and onto his back. He came down with a knee to the boy's chest and a raised fist that had the boy wincing as he waited for it to fall.

"Henry!"

Mrs. Reynolds ran forward, pulling Henry off of the other boy, who pushed himself to his feet, giving Henry a look that promised retribution.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"He's crazy!" The boy said.

"Jared..." she gave the boy a warning look. "What did I tell you about calling people names?"

"He took my backpack," Henry accused. "I had it under my bed, and he took it while I was in the bathroom."

"Is that true, Jared?" Mrs. Reynolds put her hands on her hips.

He gave her a sullen look. "No."

"Yes." Henry countered. "Look in his drawer."

Mrs. Reynolds gave Jared a long, searching look. "Jared, if I open that drawer and find a backpack..."

Jared crossed his arms. "Okay, okay," he fumed. "I was just joking with him. He's got a bunch of baby stuff in it, anyway."

"Give it back, Jared."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jared grumbled. He walked over to a chest of drawers, opened the second drawer down and pulled out Henry's backpack, extending his arm until Henry took it from him.

"Henry, Jared," Mrs. Reynolds said gently, "Don't you boys have something to say to one another?"

"Sorry." Jared said the word, but his face clearly showed its opposition.

"Don't touch my stuff again," Henry warned.

"Henry, we don't teach violence here," Mrs. Reynolds said.

"In my family, we're taught to stick up for each other. And for ourselves," Henry replied.

"You don't have a family," Jared sneered. "They were probably glad to get rid of you!"

"Jared!" Mrs. Reynolds said, aghast. "You head to the kitchen right now. We're going to have a talk."

"But - "

"Out! Now!"

Jared plodded out the door, shooting Henry one last glare over his shoulder.

"Henry," Mrs. Reynolds said quietly. "Violence is never a solution. If you have problems with anyone here, you bring them to me first. Understood?"

Henry nodded, clutching his backpack tight to his chest. Mrs. Reynolds left the room, and Henry watched her pull the door shut behind her before he crawled onto the bed, shimmying up until his back was to the wall. He unzipped his backpack, rummaging around in it until he found what he was looking for: a spiral notebook. Then he unzipped a front compartment and produced a pen, which he set to the paper, writing:

OPERATION CHAMELEON

1. Find out where Storybrooke went.

A. Re-trace events

B. Try to come up with a list of possible causes

***a. My grandfather?

***b. New villain?

***c. King George?

2. Revisit the crime scene

A. Find a way to get money or credit card for bus/train ticket

B. Buy camping gear

C.

Henry stopped there, chewing the end of his pen cap. Nothing else was coming to him. He'd gone over it and over it in his mind every day, a hundred times a day, and he still wasn't any closer to an answer. He glanced around the room at the other beds along the wall, and despair began to well up inside him again. He took a deep breath, forcing it back down. He could do this. He was the grandson of Snow White, Prince Charming, and Rumplestiltskin. His father was a Lost Boy who outwitted Peter Pan and his mothers had powerful magic. He wouldn't give up until he found them, and he knew - he knew it down into his bones - that they would never give up on him.

Wherever his family was, they were looking for him. He knew it.

###

"What do you mean, it didn't work?"

Emma, Killian and Robin were in a booth at Smee's, trying their best to keep their voices low, but Emma couldn't help raising her volume on that one.

"He saw right through me, I'm afraid," Robin said. "Somehow, he'd gotten word that you were in town, Emma. He has eyes everywhere."

"Great." Emma propped her elbow on the table, rubbing her forehead.

"Don't take this the wrong way, mate, but why are you still alive?" Killian asked him. "He must've seen you with Emma if he made the association."

"Yes, exactly," Robin said. "He saw the two of us at breakfast our first morning here. And he made it clear that the only reason I was leaving with my life was to bring Emma a message."

"What message?" Emma looked at him warily.

"He wants to talk. Just talk. Speak with him, and he'll let me live."

Emma rolled her eyes. "No pressure, right?" She looked over at Killian. "I'm going to have to do this, aren't I?"

"You want your father back," Killian said, reaching over and taking her hand.

Emma nodded. "Give me your flask."

Killian dug it out from his back pocket, handing it over. Emma uncorked it, taking a long, healthy swig before handing it back.

"Okay," she said, sliding out of the booth and pushing herself up to her feet. "You two head for the library, and we'll meet you there."

Killian got out of the booth, pulling her in close. "Be careful," he said.

"I will."

He brought his hand up, rubbing his thumb softly along her jawline.

"Trust this," he said. "And trust the man you know your father to be. He's still in there, love."


	13. Reconciled

"I don't suppose we can put this off 'till morning," Emma grumbled as they all walked toward Charming's shop.

"Do we really need more time to plan?" Killian asked.

"I need more time to drink," Emma said. "Aaugh. I _so_ don't want to do this."

Killian reached out, grasping her arm. "Then don't. Let me deal with him. I can manage."

Emma shook her head. "No, I have to. He'll just find Robin and kill him if I don't. And then once he figures out you're with me, he'll go after you, too."

"Well, the sooner the better, then," Robin said. "Then it's back to the Enchanted Forest to find our children and Regina."

Emma's face paled. "Here's hoping," she mumbled. Robin looked over at Killian in confusion.

"There's a chance Henry may not be there," Killian explained. "He was at the docks for some reason, and the docks are where George's magical line was drawn."

Robin's face showed his alarm. "Where would he be if he's not here and he's not there?"

"We don't know," Emma answered.

"I'm afraid it's my fault that Henry was at the docks," Robin said, with a grimace. "I sent him there. He came looking for Roland - he said he had a gift for him. Roland was at the docks fishing with the Merry Men, so I sent Henry down that way."

"So Roland was with Henry?" Emma's eyes widened.

"No. I didn't realized they'd finished already. Roland had made his way back to me when everything got turned around."

"Which means he wasn't there for Henry to find, love," Killian pointed out. "Henry may well have been on his way home, too."

Emma nodded. "We'll find him."

"We'll find them all," Robin said. "But first, we need your father back, and we need Rumplestiltskin to get his powers back as well."

"I'm wondering if it might not be better just to win your father over and leave Rumplestiltskin as he is," Killian mused. She gave him a look.

"I want my father back," she said flatly.

He held up his hands. "I was only joking, love."

She raised a brow as if to say "No you weren't" but decided to keep her comment to herself. "All right. I'm heading inside. You two get down to the library with Rumple and get ready to go. I'll bring my father back with me, if I'm successful."

"And if you're not?" Robin asked what Killian was afraid to ask.

"We just have to hope I can get away," Emma said. "Last time he imprisoned me for nearly a month before I managed to get free."

Killian's face darkened. "He imprisoned you?"

"Daddy Dearest," she smirked without any real mirth. "He was determined to keep an eye on his little girl."

Killian raised a brow. "The Dark One empowered with the paranoia that only fathers of daughters can feel. I'm not sure I like this scenarios, Swan."

"I've handled him before." She gave Killian a nudge. "Now go - before he sees you."

He stepped closer, planting a light kiss on her lips.

"Be careful," he said. "I mean it."

She smiled. "I know you do. And I will."

He picked up her hand, holding it between them and gripping it tightly. "Trust this. This is real. Bring him back to who he is."

Emma nodded shakily, then watched them walk away as she reached for the door. She stepped inside quickly, and heard his voice before her eyes even had time to adjust to the dim interior.

"Emma." He inclined his head with a smile. "Good of you to stop by."

She stood stock-still, everything inside her swirling and warring as she tried to reconcile two very different sets of memories. This was the bastard who - no, this was David. Her father. He loved her.

She latched onto that. He loved her. There, and here. No matter how noble in one world or twisted in the other, this was a constant. It was like no magic could erase that. It could only try to distort it. He loved her. Her eyes pricked with tears, and she let herself feel it, feel that love and her love for him.

"You asked to talk. And I want to. I want to talk."

"You know you're not going to get far if you try to leave, don't you?"

He came around the counter and leaned a hip against the glass cases, smiling a sunny smile. A trickle of unease went down her spine, but she refused to give into it. This was David. _Her_ David. And he loved her.

"If I was going to run, I wouldn't have come here in the first place," she pointed out. "And maybe I'm tired of running."

He shook his head good-naturedly. "You were tired of running before. Are you back to try for the dagger again?"

She walked over toward him, trailing her hand over the cases. "As if you'd let me," she said.

"What brought you and your...companion to Storybrooke?" The smile didn't reach Charming's eyes this time.

"Coincidence," she shrugged. "I had no idea you were here when I came up that beanstalk."

"Beanstalk? You came up the beanstalk, too?"

Emma's eyes widened. "Too?"

"I met a man two days ago with the same story," Charming said, folding his arms across his chest. "Am I correct in assuming you're acquainted with him, as well?"

"We...uh...only met once," Emma improvised. "But I'm glad to hear that he made it. He was following me and the other guy."

"Your companion?"

"Yeah. Him. Except, he's not what you think - "

"Emma, Emma, Emma..." Charming said, putting a fatherly arm around her shoulders. "I'm not going to be thrown off that easily. You were seen having breakfast with a man, and then the same man was seen exiting a room that adjoined yours just a short while later."

"That doesn't mean - "

He turned her around to face him. "I'm going to kill him, Emma. But I can do it quickly, if it's easier for you. I can't have you wasting yourself on the likes of him."

"But...he's a prince," she said incredulously.

Charming chuckled. "Is that what he told you? Oh, Emma. I thought you were smarter than that. His every action and nuance shows him to be a common thief." He put a finger to his chin, thinking. "You know, I think I'll boil him slowly, in oil." He reached down, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Just for lying to my daughter."

Emma's mind was spinning and her breath accelerating with the need to pull free and run. He was targeting Robin and already had a suspicion about Killian. They had to get out of here, and fast. She looked down at their joined hands, and suddenly, Killian's voice came to her - so clearly she could almost hear him in her head.

_Trust this. Bring him back to who he is._

Emma looked up into her father's blue eyes, and before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely.

"Dad," she whispered. "I need you."

She could feel his surprise, but his arms came around her a heartbeat later, and he hugged her back just as tightly, rocking a little as he held her.

"What's happened?" he asked, and Emma had no problem getting tears to form in her eyes, he sounded so familiar. She forced herself to pull back, her mind searching frantically for a believable story.

"The man - my...uh...companion...he betrayed me and he...doesn't know that I know. I hired the other man to kill him because..." Emma wished she had Henry with her - he was good at this stuff. _Think, Emma...what would Henry say?_ "He's under an enchantment. He can only be killed by the sword of a prince. I hired the other guy because he said he knew where to get one."

"Ah..." Charming said, nodding. "That explains why he was nosing around in here. I have just the thing he's looking for." He walked back behind the cases, producing a key from a chain around his neck and crouching down to unlock a lower cupboard along the wall. He reached inside, pulling out a sword case.

"Will this do?" He put it down on the counter, releasing the latch and pulling the top back.

Emma's eyes went wide. "I - I think it would be perfect," she said.

"Then why don't you just stay here, and have a cup of tea while I chop off a few limbs for you?" Charming gave her a warm and endearing smile, and then he reached for the handle of the sword.

###

"What do you mean, it didn't work?" Killian shut the library door behind Emma in disbelief.

"No time to talk. We need to get Robin out of here." Emma tossed him the sword. "My father will be right behind me and soon. I told him I wanted to kill Robin myself, so he sent me with his blessing."

"Lovely," Killian said. "I gather he thinks Robin is your latest flame?"

"And you're the mercenary I hired to help me kill him," Emma supplied. "But I'm not sure he bought that, so it's best if we all just get out of here. _Now_."

"Was that not his sword, then?" Robin asked as Emma started cranking the elevator doors.

"It was his sword, all right."

"You're sure?" Killiam asked.

She paused to look at him in exasperation. "I slayed a dragon with the damn thing. I'd know my father's sword anywhere. It wasn't his talisman."

"Now that is curious," Rumple said. "Perhaps the power of the dagger is such that it overrides any talisman he could use."

Emma stepped forward. "What?"

'The power of the dagger transcends a lot of magical interference, Miss Swan. It is a magical absolute, without equal."

"So you're saying he may never be back? Never be anything but...this?" She realized she was raising her voice, and made an effort to reign herself in.

"That I cannot say," Rumple went on. "Perhaps it's something more of his earlier life and times. A shepherd's crook, perhaps. Or something from his mother."

"She had a pendant," Emma said. "My mother told me about it. A gypsy pendant. I didn't see anything like that in the jewelry case, but I did manage to swipe this."

She held out her hand, and on her finger was the ring her father had given her mother. "This was his mother's, too - you'd think it would have jogged a memory."

"Talismen don't work that way," Killian said. "But it's a good bet that your mother will know it."

"And I have Regina's talisman," Robin said, reaching into his bag. "I hope so, anyway." He pulled out a red apple. "It's from the tree in her yard. Rumplestiltskin said it had meaning to her."

Emma nodded. "That's brilliant. Now all we have to do is find them. If anyone would know how to reach my father, it's my mother."

Killian pulled the elevator doors open, and Robin stepped inside, followed by Rumpletstiltskin - causing Killian to raise an alarmed brow.

Robin looked at him warily. "You're coming along?"

"Once we reach the Enchanted Forest, I'll be traveling on to my castle," Rumple said. "I may not have my powers yet, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, if I can get to where I've hidden them. I'll rendezvous with all of you after I do."

"How will we know where to find you?" Emma asked.

"I'll find you." Rumple looked toward the library door. "Now, may I suggest we get moving? No one else knows where the elevator goes, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"We'll get to the beanstalk, and then to the Jolly Roger," Killian said, with a nod to Robin. "I'll send word when we've reached the Enchanted Kingdom."

Emma pulled the doors shut as Killian lowered the elevator car down.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now we get out of town without my father seeing us," Emma said, glancing nervously at the door. "You should head straight for the beanstalk. I'm going to have some stalling to do first."

"No."

"Killian - "

"No, Swan. I'm not leaving you. What's to keep him from imprisoning you again?"

"He's already suspicious of you," she countered. "He may just decide that you're my next conquest."

Killian stepped in, resting his hand on her waist. "I like the sound of that."

She rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for that now."

He gave her a devilish grin. "There's always time for _that_, love." He stepped back reluctantly. "But I do see your point. How do we get to the beanstalk when he's most assuredly watching the town line?"

"I've got an idea," Emma said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him. "Come with me."

###

"Clutch! You need to push the clutch!" Emma screamed from the floor, looking up at Killian.

"I'm clutching! I'm clutching!" Killian shouted back, shoving the brightly-colored scarf out of his eyes. "Damn this thing!" He swerved sharply.

"Hey! Watch the road!"

"I can't watch anything with these bloody glasses," he snapped, yanking off the wire-framed sunglasses Emma had shoved on his nose and the tie-dyed scarf she'd tied around his head.

"What are you doing?" she screeched. "You're supposed to look like Rufus!"

"I look nothing like him!"

"You just need to pass from a distance! We need to - clutch! Hit the clutch!" she shouted, grinding the gears on the gearshift.

"I'm clutching, dammit!"

"How much further?"

"We're nearly there," he answered, flooring the gas pedal as the car flew across the town line. He began to slow as they approached the top of the beanstalk.

"Pull in toward the trees," Emma said, peeking up through the window. "We need to hide the car."

"Hide a bright yellow car in the woods?"

"Just do it."

Killian pulled the car off the road, slowing to a stop. Emma jumped out, and together, they pushed it deeper into the cover of the trees, breaking off a few boughs to cover it over. Emma gave one last, nervous glance over her shoulder before they started down the beanstalk.

She needn't have worried. Her father was at that moment standing in the town library.

And he was looking at the elevator door.


	14. In Motion

"I'm not sure I can get used to Leroy as a warrior," Emma said.

"You have to admit, he's much more useful this way," Killian replied. "Much better than having him waving his arms and running madly about all the time."

"I guess," she agreed. "It was a stroke of genius grabbing Archie's umbrella before we left, but wouldn't it have been better to leave him as a prince?"

Killian shook his head as he adjusted the wheel. "No. He's a much better therapist, I assure you. And probably less inclined to get in our way."

He pointed with his chin as Archie tripped over a coil of rope on the deck, falling heavily into Leroy, who helped him right himself.

"And at least with Leroy still thinking he's Archie's footsoldier, he'll keep the good doctor out of trouble," Killian added.

"We're going to need to find Leroy's pickaxe," Emma said. "The Enchanted Forest is as good a place as any to look. How much longer until we're there?"

"Mid-morning, barring storm or catastrophe, and with both of us aboard, either is just as likely."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. So we'll be sailing all night, then."

"We will, indeed. And Leroy and Archie will be taking the wheel on the overnight so that you and I can have a late dinner in the captain's cabin."

"Subtle," she said with a smirk.

He slid an arm around her waist. "I'd have skipped the dinner invitation entirely if I wasn't being subtle," he said. "And as the sun is making its descent into the horizon, I'm due for my relief."

"Your _what_?"

"At the wheel, love." He gave her a lopsided grin. 'Though, I'll not disabuse you of any other notions you might have on the matter."

"I'll bet."

Killian raised his hand, gesturing over to Leroy, who was assisting a rather green-looking Archie up the stairs to the wheel deck. Archie broke free, running for the railing and leaning over, heaving hard.

"Is he all right?" Emma asked.

"He's seasick," Leroy said, stepping over to the wheel.

Emma looked over at Archie again. "Do you want us to take him below?"

Archie shook his head no, unable to speak as his stomach heaved again.

Leroy waved a dismissive hand. "He says he's better off up here, where he's got an ocean to puke into."

Killian raised a brow. "Well. That's remarkably astute of him. Tell him thank you from me when he...settles down." He reached for Emma's hand.

"Shall we?" he asked, raising a brow.

Somehow, the last rung on the ladder never got to feel the weight of her boot. Killian had stepped forward and put his hand to her waist to help her the rest of the way down, but once she slid her arms over his shoulders, and his eyes lit up, holding hers...well, it only took a moment for her legs to wrap around his waist and dinner was forgotten.

He got them both over to the bed, turning and falling backward onto it and settling her on top of him, stroking and caressing every inch that he could reach as his lips and tongue played across her neck and collarbone. By the time they'd worked their clothing off, he felt like he was going mad with need for her, torn between the overwhelming desire to plunge right into her - and from the look of her, she shared that desire with equal fervor - and the desire to drown in every feather-touch, every stroke of fingers on heated skin, every slide of himself against her and the rub of her breasts against his chest.

He looped his arms under her, staggering up to his feet.

"Wrap your legs around me again, love," he growled, walking her toward the aft wall, and pushing her hard against it.

"Really?" she gasped. "Standing up?" Though to be fair, it was more like leaning, the way the hull curved. He lifted her slightly, fitting himself to her and sliding her down upon him with a groan. He pushed himself deeper, his face contorting in a grimace of pleasure as he touched his forehead to hers.

"Right here," he murmured against her lips. "The movement of the ship on the waves..." He let out another groan as the ship hit an obvious swell, pushing him forward and up, deeper into her, then rolling her down on him again as the momentum carried over to her. It was like they didn't have to do much work at all - the ship and the sea were in control, and they were both just along for the ride.

Emma threaded her fingers through his hair, and gave herself up to it, and to the rushing whirlpool of pleasure that pulled her down, down, down, with the sound of his cries and the crashing of the waves ringing in her ears.

It was a long, long time before they ate dinner.

###

Robin kept his eyes forward, doing his best not to let on that he knew he was being watched. He climbed over a large, fallen tree, planning on taking cover behind it when he found himself surrounded, as two hooded figures emerged from the hollowed-out log.

"Drop the bow!" A voice called out.

Robin raised his hands in the air. "I'm not going to make trouble," he called out.

"No, you're not," answered the voice. "Now drop it and kick it over here."

Robin slowly removed his bow, lowering it to the ground and giving it a nudge with his boot.

"A little further," said the voice. Robin tilted his head to the side, then took in a breath.

"Snow?"

She stepped forward, tossing her hood back. "It's _Snowy_. And who are you, brother?"

"You're...you're...what are you?" he asked, scratching his head.

"_What_ are we?" Snow repeated. "Did you really just say that?"

"In a subjective form and modifying a noun that refers to personage, _what_ is not the proper interrogative," said Red, doffing her own hood.

"Perhaps if you'd spent more time in class and less time roaming the woods, you'd have known that," sneered Snow.

Robin looked at her warily. "Very well..._who_ are you, then?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're schoolteachers."

"Schoolteachers?" Robin asked incredulously. "You're the leader of a group of schoolteachers?"

Snow pulled an arrow from her quiver, nocking it into her bow. "I rarely miss," she grumbled. "And from this distance, brother, you're a sure thing."

"Aren't schoolteachers supposed to be nice?" he asked in confusion.

"Clearly, you've never attended parochial school. And I _am_ being nice. I haven't killed you yet."

"Killed me?" Robin looked uneasily from Snow to Red.

"They don't call her Snowy for nothing," Red replied. "Ice in her veins, I swear."

Snow gave her a look that should have frozen her where she stood, but Red wasn't fazed.

"I think he's pretty," she said, stepping forward. "_Really_ pretty."

"Flirty!" Snow snapped. "We don't have time for this. The woods are overrun with the evil Queen's spies, and with George's men. Rumor has it they may even be working together! We can't trust anyone!"

"You never trust anyone anyway, Snowy," Red pouted. "I say we bring him back to the house," she trailed her fingers down Robin's arm.

Snow put her arrow back in the quiver and stepped forward, grabbing Robin's bow off the ground. "Regina won't want any strangers nosing around."

"Sleepy's got things under control there," Red insisted. "Besides, he's got a nice, trustworthy face. And shoulders," she purred.

"Wait! Have you seen Regina?" Robin asked. "I need to find her."

"You a friend of The Bandit Queen?" Snow's eyes narrowed.

"Yes! Yes, I am."

Snow gave him a smile, holding his bow out. Robin stepped forward to take it, turning to Red as he did. "From what I understand - "

His words were cut off as he crumpled to the ground. Snow tossed aside the rock she'd used on his skull and dusted off her hands.

"Come on," she said to Red. "Let's tie him up. We can drag him the rest of the way."

"Cold as ice," Red mumbled under her breath.

###

"Henry!"

Emma sat straight up in bed with a gasp, and Killian bolted upright next to her. She put her face in her hands, panting heavily as Killian reached out, rubbing her back.

"Bad dream?" he asked.

She nodded, taking a deep, gulping breath. "I was...I don't know where. I could see Henry, but he couldn't hear me. He was all alone."

Killian slid his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him as he laid back. She turned her face into his chest, trying to calm her ragged breathing.

"We'll find him, love. I swear we will."

She nodded, but didn't speak, still trying to process the very real feelings she'd just experienced.

"He's likely having the time of his life, you know. He could be a dwarf, or an outlaw or a prince...he's probably having a grand adventure. It's almost a shame to have to wake him from it."

Emma gave a short bark of laughter. "Yeah, you're probably right."

He shifted down until he was nose-to-nose with her. "He'll be fine, love. One thing about all of this is that you're still fundamentally you underneath the varnish. Henry's a clever boy, and resourceful. He's got the situation well in hand, wherever he is."

###

"Lydia! Jen! Isabel!" Mrs. Reynolds stood at the foot of the stairs, with her hands on her hips, watching silently as the girl lined up in the hallway.

"What's the problem?" Jen asked, taking out her earbuds.

"Which one of you took it?" Mrs. Reynolds stared them each down in turn. "Come on, give it back now, and I won't say another word about it."

"Took what?" asked Isabel.

"My hair color. I had a brand new box under the sink," Mrs. Reynolds replied. "I was planning on touching up these roots and when I went to pull it out, surprise, surprise! It was gone!"

"I already have black hair," Lydia said. "Why would I take it?"

"Me, too," said Isabel.

"Don't look at me," said Jen. "I like being blonde. I didn't touch your stuff."

"Are you sure you bought it?" Lydia asked. "Remember that time you thought you bought that bag of limes but you really forgot to?"

Mrs. Reynolds looked doubtful, but not entirely sure of herself. "Yeah, I remember. But it's easy to get distracted when you guys are always slugging away at each other." She gave a sigh. "Sorry I bothered you. Isn't it time for you to be doing homework, anyway?"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "You said we had until seven-thirty," she reminded.

Mrs. Reynolds looked down at her wristwatch. "Okay. Ten minutes and then down to the table for homework."

The girls grumbled as they headed back to their room, passing the door to the other bedroom on the way. Henry listened warily at the door until they were gone, then rushed over, pulling his backpack out from under the bed again.

He reached inside, pulling out his notebook, a tattered copy of Stephen King's "The Stand," a copy of The Storybrooke Daily Mirror, the dice Killian had given him, and the snowglobe he'd planned to give to Roland. It was a keepsake from his time in New York with his mother, one he didn't think he'd needed anymore, and now he was really, really glad he hadn't given it away. It was pretty much all he had from her now.

The thought brought a lump to his throat and tears stung his eyes. He took the tail of his shirt and wiped some remaining ash off the top of the globe, carefully placing it on the bed. He'd been holding it in his hand when Storybrooke winked out of existence. He'd been down at the dock, and had just found that weird pile of ash - you could still smell the smokey smell of it and when he rubbed it between his fingers, it clung and stained them. He'd called his Mom to tell her about it, then he'd dug out the snowglobe to give to Roland, and everything went bright-white and a roaring sound filled his ears.

The next thing he remembered, he was alone and there wasn't any Storybrooke. Not anymore. There was a gap of a few feet to the shore where the dock had cut off, then...nothing. Just grass and forest and trees. No houses, no buildings, no streets...no town.

Henry sat down on the bed, opening the notebook and adding to his notes:

LOUD NOISE WHEN THE TOWN VANISHED. FELT LIKE IT WAS SUCKED AWAY.

I HAD ASH ON MY HANDS. COULD THE ASH BE CURSED? MAGIC ASH? IS THAT EVEN A THING?

He closed the notebook, and glanced at the door again before reaching into the pack and pulling out the box of hair dye. It would probably be smarter to take the bottles of dye and the plastic gloves out of the box and zip them into the smaller pocket on the inside liner. She probably wouldn't even look in there, if she was snooping. He did just that, carefully folding the box flat and sliding it between the mattress and the box spring on his bed. Then he loaded the other things back into the bag, pausing for a moment when he picked up the book.

He opened it to a section that he'd dog-eared, and began reading once again, pulling out a pencil and making notes in the margins of the page.


	15. Confrontation

_**All right, readers...you got me. There is no way in hell this story will be through by the New Year. I admit, part of the reason I want to rush it is because the next one is brewing in my head and it's feeling rather epic so I'm in a hurry to get there, but there's also still some trickery and fun and steamy, sexy stuff to get through on this one and the story deserves to be treated with respect. So we've got another few weeks (depending on the rest of my writing schedule), easily, then it's on to our next adventure.**_

_**In the meantime, cover art is done for book three of the Seeder Saga: Changeling. And it is awesome! I actually had to go back and write a little extra on the book once I saw the concept art because my artist captured this girl's spirit so beautifully.**_

_**And finally - (last plug, I promise) I'm running a new author blog at brittdelaney dot com and I put in a lot of OUAT stuff, so you might want to check that one out every so often. The link to that is on my author page here.**_

_**Now let's get back to our story...**_

* * *

><p>Robin groaned, rolling over. then he spit out a mouthful of dirt and coughed hard.<p>

"Does he need water, Mama?"

"What did I say about coming in here, Roland?"

_Roland! _

Robin sat up glancing wildly behind him, his face lighting up when he saw his son. Then Roland's words registered in his mind. His startled eyes shifted to Regina, who was standing with her hand on Roland's back.

"Mama?" Roland asked again, looking up at her.

"Sleepy needs help getting water. Why don't you go along?" she suggested, giving him a quick kiss on the head. She watched him go fondly, and Robin felt an odd sensation in his chest, just watching the two of them.

"Hello," he said carefully, shifting his legs to get his feet under him.

"Not so fast," Regina cautioned, drawing her dagger and holding it on him. "Snowy thinks you might be a spy."

Robin gave her a grin as he wiped the rest of the dirt out of his mouth. "Snowy is entirely too suspicious and wields stones with extreme prejudice," he said, rubbing the side of his head. He extended his hand. "Prince Robin."

"Of Sherwood?" Regina couldn't hide her surprise.

"The same. And I gather you're Regina, the bandit queen?" he asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

She inclined her head. "That's what they call me now. I suppose you've heard that I lost my kingdom?"

"Not lost," he said. "Just misplaced. Perhaps I can help with that."

"So you weren't thrown into God-knows-where along with everyone else? Oh, hold on..." she poured him a cup of water from a nearby pitcher and handed it to him. "Sorry for the mouthful of dirt. Snowy gets a little overzealous."

"Well, I did bend the rules of grammar in a terribly bold way."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Brave man. So you were spared whatever it was that happened to all of us?"

Robin drained the cup, handing it back to her. "No. I was thrown onto a ship in a neighboring kingdom, alongside Prince Killian. We later met up with Prince Archie and one of his soldiers. They should be on their way here shortly."

"That explains why I couldn't find you," she said. "I wasn't thrown far from home, but Roland and I came to in a coach, on the road outside the castle. When we tried to make our way back home, we encountered George and his troops. They'd taken over the castle and now I'm working to find my way back in."

"I wasn't aware you had a child," Robin said, watching her carefully.

"I know." Regina said, crossing her arms and obviously uncomfortable. "My father didn't want you to know. I had actually planned to journey out and meet you the day all of this happened. I felt like you deserved the truth, in case you wanted to back out."

"Back out?" Robin's brow creased into a frown.

Regina blew out a stream of air, lifting her hair off her forehead.

"I know you weren't expecting my son," she said. "And I want you to know that you don't have to honor our betrothal if you don't want to."

###

"Mrs. Reynolds?"

"You can call me Angela, if you want," she said over her shoulder as she removed the laundry from the dryer. "What's up, Henry?"

"Do you need a hand?" he asked.

"You can fold," she said, smiling. "And you must really want whatever it is, if you're volunteering to do extra chores."

"Actually, that's what I'm here to ask about," Henry said, grabbing the other end of a sheet and helping her fold. "I was wondering if you had some extra chores around here that I could do. You know...for money."

"Okay. Who is she?" Angela put her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?"

"Which one of the girls are you trying to impress? You know you can't date someone in the same house, right?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Henry said, waving a hand. "I promise."

"What do you need the money for, then?" Angela looked at him suspiciously.

"Books."

Angela gave him a slightly patronizing smile. "Public library is two blocks down," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "Get a library card and you can read to your heart's desire."

"Yeah, but see, that won't work for me," Henry said. "I like to read a bunch of different books all at the same time - sometimes just to contrast different viewpoints if I'm reading on the same subject, and sometimes because I just like the variety." He gave a shrug. "What I'd really like is a Kindle, and I know those cost money, but I could load dozens of books on there. I could even get some on loan from the library, I think."

He looked at her expectantly, eyes shining, and Angela bit her lip, thinking.

"I do have that overgrown area on the side of the shed in the backyard. The weeds need to get pulled, and I've been wanting to cut down that ugly bush and dig up the roots. Maybe plant some rosebushes or something."

"I can do that," Henry said, nodding.

"And Aidan can really use some extra tutoring in math."

"Okay," Henry agreed. "When can I start?"

"You can tutor tonight," Angela said. "And then hit the weeds first thing after school tomorrow. We'll dig up the bush on Saturday."

"Thanks. Thanks, Angela." Henry gave her a smile, then picked up the laundry basket. "I can take this upstairs for you."

Henry walked the basket up the stairs, setting it down at the foot of his bed. He knelt down, reaching under the bed and pulled out his back pack, setting it on the pile of laundry in the basket. Then he gave a quick look around before unzipping the bag and reached inside, pulling out his notebook and a pen. He thumbed the pages, finding what he was looking for, and drew one long, straight line through "Find a way to get money." He was just shoving the notebook in his bag when Vince walked into the room.

"Is that the laundry?"

Henry gave an affirmative nod, picking his bag up with both hands and laying it on the floor. Vince started digging through the basket, pulling things out and stacking them on the bed. He looked over at Henry.

"You haven't seen my Under Armour, have you? I need it for track practice."

Henry shook his head. "I helped Angela fold, but I didn't see it. Are you sure you put it in the laundry?"

Vince glared at him. "I wore it last practice. I definitely put it in the laundry."

Henry sat down on the bed, resting his feet nonchalantly on his pack. "Did you check Jared's drawer?" he asked. "You know how he is. He's more your size anyway."

Vince frowned, stepping over to Jared's drawer and opening it. Unfortunately, Jared picked that exact moment to walk into the room, took one look at Vince rummaging through his drawer and charged. Vince responded by throwing him off through the doorway, and then went after him, both of them yelling and throwing each other into the hallway walls as Angela pounded up the stairs to intervene.

Henry pulled the shirt out from under his backpack, stuffing it into the front of his pants and stepping quickly into the bathroom so he could layer it under his other clothes. He locked the door and paused a moment, listening to the shouts and thuds in the hallway beyond. Then he set his head against the door, closing his eyes, wishing for what felt like the thousandth time that day that he was home.

###

"There," Leroy pointed. "That inlet - it's surrounded by trees. We'll have some good cover there."

"Yes, as will anyone else," Killian replied. "So let's not let our guard down once we make land." He turned the wheel a few notches, rounding the edge of the inlet. He couldn't help but notice Emma, squirming as she stood beside him.

"Problem?" he asked.

Emma had one hand twisted up behind her inside her shirt, and she turned her head to give him a disgruntled look. "Yeah. I've got a splinter in my back."

He arched a brow and gave her a sideways grin. "I'll be more than happy to help you out of that shirt, if you'd like. Just let me park the ship."

She gave him a look. "I can manage."

He lowered his voice. "You managed quite well last night. Never let it be said that you don't have an adventurous spirit, love."

"I _am_ a pirate, if you recall."

"Oh, I recall, all right," he said enigmatically. "I rather miss the lascivious pirate wench."

"She's still in there, somewhere. I've been practicing for a couple of weeks now."

"You were practicing long before you landed here," he said. "I knew there was pirate in you from the very beginning."

She leaned in, giving him a sultry look. "I'd like some pirate in me right now," she murmured, before turning and walking with a deliberate sway of her hips toward the bow. Killian stared after her, open-mouthed. He realized he was about to ram into a rock outcropping and made a quick course correction, bringing them into the inlet.

He scanned the shoreline with his spyglass while Emma, Archie and Leroy managed the excursion boat, and in moments they were pulling up to shore.

"Now would be a great time to have a compass," Emma pointed out. "I have no idea where we're going."

"Oh, not to worry, Emma," Archie said. "My family and I traveled all over the Enchanted Forest. I know exactly where we are. There should be a road just over there - " he extended his hand, pointing toward a break in the trees, but didn't get to finish his sentence. Instead, he broke off with an agonized sound as an arrow impaled his hand. Leroy turned with a shout and Killian plowed into Emma, throwing her down into the dirt as an arrow whizzed over her head.

They both drew their cutlasses, but it was too late - more than a dozen troops stepped out of the woods, crossbows trained on them, and behind the group, a horse pulled a black carriage. The door opened, and George stepped down and out of it.

"So I see you've found your princes," George smirked, as Emma regained her feet. She gave Killian a warning glance as he stood up slowly next to her.

"You could say that," she answered. "What brings you to the Enchanted Forest?"

"I live here," he answered coldly. "And I'd like to keep it that way. Now, where is my compass?" He held out a gloved hand, and Emma stared him down.

"You mean the compass you used to open a portal back in Storybrooke - one that sent us scattering between realms? That compass?"

George's eyes narrowed. "So the savior finally came to her senses. I wondered if that might be a possibility."

"Which explains why you were having me followed and then decided to use me to get the compass. You wanted to keep an eye on me."

George smiled, a thin, tight smile that didn't touch his eyes. "I thought you might be useful. That, of course, will depend on if you got the compass."

"She doesn't have it," Killian answered. "But we know where it is."

"Am I to gather that you're back to yourself, as well?" George looked over at Archie and Leroy. "Is it just a temporary condition?"

"It can be," Emma answered evasively. "And I'm betting that has you worried. What was the point of all of this?" she asked, spreading her arms wide. "Why try to move an entire town? Why not just open a portal and head back to the Enchanted Forest yourself without any of us around to challenge you?"

"And rule an empty kingdom?" George asked, his lip curling with distaste. "No, I wanted the satisfaction of having another go at all of you - and it's all worked out beyond my wildest dreams. And once I find your parents, everything will come full circle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma's lips set in a thin line as she eyed him warily.

George raised a hand, signalling with his fingers to someone behind him. The door to the coach was opened again, and a guard reached inside, pulling out a small bundle and carefully passing it over to George. George turned back to Emma, gently peeling back the blanket, revealing the sleeping baby in his arms.

"What? No sisterly affection?" George taunted.

"Neal!" Emma started forward, but the guards closed in, pointing their crossbows at her.

"I'm not sure I'll keep the name," George said, handing the baby back to the guard, who walked Neal back over to the carriage. "I will be raising him as my own," he went on. "I need an heir, and he's technically in succession. So are you, for that matter, but I won't have my kingdom ruled by a woman, let alone a woman like you."

"Leave my brother out of this," Emma bit out, her eyes flashing fire.

"He's my insurance policy," George replied. "If I should happen to find your parents, I'll be sure to let them know that I won't hesitate to slit that child's throat if they - or anyone - should think to challenge me." He walked back over to the carriage, pausing on the step before he ducked inside.

"Kill them all," he ordered.

And Killian let out a shout as an arrow tore into Emma's chest, lifting her off her feet and slamming her into the ground.


	16. Perseverance

_**Happy New Year, readers! And thank you, from the bottom of my heart (really!) for sticking with me this year and reading the stuff I put out there. I started writing fanfiction just over a year ago (my first fic was Eight Nights at Sea - which is now a novel - can you believe it?) and from there I went on to "It Is What It Isn't." Shortly after that, I embarked on the epic that became The Memory Keeper series, and it's been rolling on from there. If I had to highlight my year in fanfiction, finishing that series, and writing "These Dreams" would be my two crowning achievements. "Adrift" gave me a chance to get a lot darker than I'd ever gone before - I'm not sure I could go that dark again, but it was a great exercise and I think it came out well in the end.**_

_**As always, I am so grateful to all of you for inspiring me, innovating me, and forcing me to make what I write worthy of each and every one of you. Thank you again, for all you do for me! **_

_**Now, as I recall, we have a heroine with an arrow in her chest, right? We really ought to get back to that, shouldn't we? **_

_**Nah. Let's see what Rumple's doing.**_

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin paced the room carefully, his lips moving soundlessly as he counted off the steps. He stopped in front of one of the panels in the wall, then he reached his hand out and pressed lightly. The panel slid open, revealing the shelves behind. He carefully chose a crystal vial, picking it up and holding it to the light before pocketing it. He added to that a small pouch, which he tied to his belt, a handful of crystals, and finally, he grabbed a small, stoppered bottle before closing the panel.<p>

It only took a moment before he'd found what he was looking for in the neighboring china cabinet. He pulled out the chipped cup and saucer, setting it delicately on the table with a satisfied sigh. Once he'd regained his memories in Storybrooke, he'd gone to Charming's shop, hoping to find this very item, but with no success. And now here it was, and he could use it not only to find Belle, but to return her to herself, as well. God only knew where she was, or who she'd become. He winced a bit, remembering her as Lacey. She'd been exciting, even intriguing as her alter-ego, but not nearly as satisfying as the Belle he'd come to love.

Rumple poured the potion into the cup, watching it glow with a dull, blue light.

###

"You...were my betrothed?" Robin stared at Regina, open-mouthed and unable to shut his jaws for some reason.

She arched a brow. "Your father didn't tell you?"

Robin shook his head to clear it. "No, no...he told me, of course. I knew I had a betrothed. I just didn't know _who_ yet. I'd gotten his missive when I was away on a trade journey - I was actually on my way back home when everything got blown apart."

"So you know nothing about me," Regina stated.

"I know everything about you." The words came out before Robin could stop them, and he scrambled to recover. "I mean...I've heard so much about you. I just never realized before that there was a chance you could be mine."

He stared at Regina in a very unnerving way, and she cleared her throat, breaking the spell. "Yes, well...my father thinks that an alliance would be best for both the kingdoms, and as I'm not holding any silly, romantic notions about true love or happily ever afters, I can agree to it. There is one condition, of course."

"Roland." Robin smiled at her, and she found herself mesmerized by the way his eyes crinkled when he did so. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Yes," she said firmly. "Roland was left at the castle gates as a newborn. I've raised him as my own ever since, and I fully intend for him to inherit my kingdom - once I get it back. I don't know his parentage, and I couldn't care less about it. He's _my_ son. If you can't agree to that, we have no deal."

He looked at her in an appraising way. "I can agree to that. He's a fine boy, Regina."

"Thank you." She gave him a grateful nod.

"There's only one thing that I can't agree to, and unfortunately, for me, at least - it's a major point."

"Go on," she said warily.

He stepped in closer. "Happily ever after. I think it does exist. And what's more, I think I want you to think that, too."

Regina suddenly found it hard to breathe as his eyes slid down to her lips, then back up to meet hers. The brightness in them held her mesmerized, until she forced herself to back up a few paces.

"This is a business arrangement," she said, a bit shakily. "I'll honor my end of that, but don't expect hearts and flowers and circling songbirds."

"And what of my future heirs?" he asked, and she could swear he was biting back a smile.

"You'll have them. Eventually."

Robin reached out, taking her hand and pulling her in slowly. "Then the deal is sealed. And I'll just have to work on the rest." He kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers before she pulled away.

"I need to see to some things. If you'll excuse me?" She gave him a tight smile and then she turned and fled the room, walking quickly, her heart beating entirely too loudly in her chest.

And she could swear her lips burned where his lips had touched them.

###

"Emma!"

Killian's tortured voice carried through the haze of pain and the agony in it made her want to answer him, but breathing seemed overwhelmingly difficult, almost to the point of impossible. She could hear the short, gasping pants she was making, but it felt as though she was starved for oxygen. Her vision was blurring, and the pain was excruciating, piercing, eating through her.

Her mind vaguely registered the sounds of clanging swords and shouts, the thud of bodies hitting the ground, arrows whizzing by. Everything had closed and condensed to the pull of air, reedy and feeble, into her lungs, the spreading pain, the numbness setting into her limbs.

She must've blacked out for a moment, because she suddenly realized she couldn't hear the swords or arrows anymore, and she let out a groan as she was lifted gently, oh-so-gently. She knew Killian was holding her, but couldn't feel his arms so much around her. He was shouting, insistent, his lips near her face, not giving her any peace.

"Emma!"

She finally registered his arms, as they closed with greater force around her, and the feel of his hand on her chest, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

"Leroy! Clip it off - just there - we need to pull in through!"

Emma groaned again as he rolled her forward, then back again.

"Emma! Emma - stay with me, love. Stay with me." His voice was a litany, repeating over and over. She felt his hand smacking at her face lightly, his voice demanding that she open her eyes.

"Come on, Swan! Don't you give up on me now! Emma!"

She managed to open her eyes, and with a lot of effort, focused on his face. Her breathing was getting thinner now, and a gurgling sound accompanied every breath.

"I'm going to pull this arrow out," he said, "And you're going to heal yourself. You can do this! Come on, Swan - concentrate! Listen to my voice!"

She managed a nod. Yes, she heard him. She couldn't not hear him - he was screaming in her face. He wanted...he wanted her to...what?

"I'm pulling it out now - this is going to hurt."

Emma's eyes rolled back as the pain, the searing, blinding pain nearly sent her over the edge into unconsciousness. She felt Killian smacking her face again, harder this time.

"Dammit! Swan!" Two more smacks, hard and stinging this time, and she felt her own hand being lifted, pressed down hard into her chest, causing her to cough as the pain stabbed into her. "Come on! Use your magic! Heal yourself! You can do this!"

Magic. That's right, she was magic. She had to...

Emma pulled in as much air as she could, feeling her mouth begin to fill with blood. She pulled from deep, deep within her, leaning hard into the strength of Killian's arms and pushing the power through her, feeling it sing in her veins as it raced down her arms and through her fingertips. She heard a startled sound from Killian as it flashed against her, but he didn't let go.

And then she could breathe again. She opened her mouth, coughing hard, clearing the last of the blood and fluid from her lungs. Killian rolled her quickly to her side, holding her hair back as she sucked in great lungfuls of air and then sagged weakly back against him.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked up at him.

"So...you gonna hit me again?"

He put his hand to his face, rolling back onto his backside in the dirt, gasping with relief. Then he rolled back over, pulling her in tightly and rocking her, kissing her face and hair over and over again between words.

"You're all right. You're all right. You're all right." He couldn't stop repeating it, his hand running up and down as he reassured himself.

"I need air," she said, muffled into his chest. "Ease up, there."

He nodded, giving her some space but refusing to let her go. "Don't ever do that to me again," he groaned. "_Ever_."

Emma looked around. "Are they gone?"

"Yes. Gone or dead."

"We can't be sure they're gone for long," Leroy cautioned. "We need to get out of here and find shelter. George doesn't like to leave loose ends."

"He's got Neal," Emma said, her eyes filling up. "Killian, he's got Neal."

"I know, love."

"What if he has others? What if he has Henry?"

"We don't know that. And we'll get him back. We'll get them all back. But right now, we need to get to safety." He moved her carefully off of him and got to his feet. "Can you walk?"

Emma rolled to her knees, looking over at Leroy as he bandaged Archie's hand.

"You okay there, Archie?"

Archie nodded weakly, ashen-faced and still shaking. "I'm fine, Emma. Leroy says it went clean through - no broken bones."

Killian extended a hand down, and Emma took it, gaining her feet. She reached down and brushed off her breeches, then clucked distastefully at all the blood on her shirt. "Guess I'm not going to any fancy dinner parties or balls tonight," she quipped.

"You need to get some rest," Killian said, setting his forehead against hers.

"I'm fine now, Killian. Really. All healed up."

"Then I need some rest. You just took ten years off my life, love."

"You've got a few to spare," she smirked.

"Ah, but I don't want to lose a day with you," he said, kissing her lightly. "Now come on, let's get some cover around us."

###

"You are so busted!" Vince said, leaning in over Henry's shoulder.

"Just wait till Angela gets a load of this," Jared added, gloating. "Were you cruising for some action? Or selling yourself to some old guy in a parking lot?"

Henry stood up from the computer chair, glaring at both boys, his hands clenched into fists.

"It's none of your business," he gritted out, his eyes flashing a warning.

"How did you get around the parental controls on the computer?" Vince asked. "Angela has them set pretty tight, but you managed to get to Craigslist."

"Mirrors and proxies," Henry said. "I'd show you, but you two would just be downloading porn."

"Damn right!" Jared crowed. "And I think if you don't want Angela to find out, maybe you'd better be tutoring us, along with Aidan. Only we want to learn how to do this."

"No way," Henry said firmly.

"Then I guess you're not going to be Angela's pet anymore, are you?" Jared sneered.

"I guess not," he said, staring them down.

"Come on, Jared," Vince said, "We're wasting our time."

"But - "

"Henry knows we've got something on him. And we might need a favor sometime." Vince gave Henry a grin that was far from friendly. In fact, it reminded Henry of his grandfather, and he wondered again, for the hundredth time, how they could all just be gone. Just like that.

"Yeah," Jared agreed. "Think about that, why don't you?"

He added his mirthless grin to Vince's and they both strolled out the door. Henry turned and hurriedly closed down the window on the computer, wiping his browser history. He walked back up to his room, closing the door carefully before sliding his hand between the mattress and box spring of his bed, pulling out his cellphone.

He'd hidden it here the first night, after Angela told him he'd have to hand over all electronic devices. He told her he didn't have any, and she believed him, especially since he hadn't used a cellphone to call for help when the police found him walking along the highway. He'd dialed his mother, his grandparents, his grandfather, Killian...everyone he had a number for, but no luck so far.

Henry unfolded the square of paper he'd shoved into his pocket, and carefully dialed the telephone number he'd hastily scrawled on it.

"Hello?" a voice answered on the other end.

"Uh...hi," Henry said hesitantly. "I'm calling about the mountain bike - the one you have on Craigslist. Is it still available?"


	17. Wordless

"You're entirely too obvious, you know." Regina's voice carried through the trees.

Robin stepped out from behind the large oak with a sheepish grin. "I apologize," he said. "I saw you leaving in the middle of the night and I must confess, my curiosity got the better of me."

"You would think a man who could handle a bow that well would be a little lighter on his feet," she said wryly, walking back toward him.

"You saw me practicing earlier?" he smiled, secretly pleased.

"Of course I did. You had Roland enthralled and I watch who my son interacts with very carefully."

"You're a good mother, Regina." His eyes held hers until she forced hersel to break the contact.

"Unfortunately, I'm not much of a daughter," she said, leaning back against the tree and crossing her arms. "The Evil Queen is holding my father at her castle. She's working with George and she knows I won't rally my allies and attack in force as long as she's got a knife to my father's throat. Not to mention, she has magic."

"But you - "

"What?"

Robin bit his lip. "Nothing. I just...damn. So you're going after him alone?"

"I was."

"No, you're not," Robin answered.

"Just because you're my betrothed doesn't mean you have any right - "

Robin put a finger to her lips. "I only meant that I'm here to help. As you pointed out before - I'm rather good with a bow."

Regina reached up, pulling his hand away from her lips. His hand was very warm and she realized she'd held it a bit too long by the look on his face.

"Come on," she said, stepping around him. "I've got horses hidden just outside the next village. If we ride hard, we should be there within a few hours. In the meantime...try to be a little lighter on your feet."

He gave her a knowing grin. "As you wish, your majesty."

###

"You're sure you don't need to rest?" Killian asked, stepping in front of her.

"You just asked me that, like, ten minutes ago," Emma said, shoving her hand through her hair in pure exasperation. "Will you stop with the hovering? I'm fine."

"We've been walking for hours and you did recently almost die," he pointed out. "I don't think it's out-of-bounds to inquire as to your state of health."

"You don't need to be an overly-protective boyfriend. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, love." He fell into step next to her as she began walking again. They walked in silence for a while, and then reached out, touching her arm.

"_Boyfriend_?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You object to the title?"

"I'm not a boy."

"No, you're not," she agreed. "Is there a term you'd prefer?"

He looked away, shaking his head, his lips pulling into a lopsided grin.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head again. "I don't really care what word you use to describe me. It's the inference behind it that I'm most interested in."

She gave him a smirk. "And you're trying to get me to say it out loud."

"Say what?" He was grinning widely now.

Emma rolled her eyes, and kept on walking.

###

Regina motioned Robin forward, then pointed up, toward the spreading branches of the tree. One of them would make the perfect platform to carry them within jumping distance of the wall. The only problem was the guard, who happened to be walking that particular wall. Robin's eyes followed Regina's pointing finger, and he bent over, cupping his hands to give her a place to step so that he could boost her up. She grabbed a low-hanging branch, swinging herself up, then extended a hand down to Robin. He swung up onto a neighboring branch instead, shaking his head to make it clear that her branch couldn't hold their combined weight.

She nodded, then moved as soundlessly as she could up through the branches, with Robin following close behind. She paused when she reached the branch that would get them over, leaning down to whisper in Robin's ear.

"Can you hit the guard from this distance?"

"I never miss," he whispered back.

"Just keep me covered. Don't fire unless you have to," she whispered. "And stay hidden. The last thing we want to do is alert them," she said, pointing down at the gathering of guards in the courtyard.

"I still think I should come along."

"You're of more use to me here, picking them off," she whispered. "The passage up to the tower is very narrow and all stone. Three people in a hurry take up more room and make a lot more sound than two."

She started to move up onto the limb when his hand wrapped around her leg, just above the knee. She looked down at him, startled.

"Be careful," he mouthed. His hand lingered a moment, then slid slowly down her leg as he reached for an arrow from his quiver. Regina looked at him for a moment longer, then started slowly across the branch, pausing every so often to flatten herself when the guard walked by before turning and completing his circuit. At last, she dropped soundlessly onto the rampart. She'd gotten a few paces toward the nearest door when laughter suddenly rang out in the group of guards below. The guard stopped in his tracks and turned to see what had amused his friends.

Robin reacted with blinding speed, hitting the man square in the chest with an arrow, but the man was too close to the edge of the wall, and it sent him over, tumbling down, down, down to the bricks of the courtyard below, right in front of the assembled guards. A shout went up, and before Regina could make it back to the tree, men poured onto the rampart and she was surrounded. Robin started to hoist himself up onto the branch, determined to come after her, but she looked over her shoulder, clearly warning him. He shrank back into the shadows of the tree with a muffled oath, panting with the force of the adrenalin coursing through his veins.

He couldn't help her now - there were too many of them, even for his bow. He needed reinforcements. He lowered himself carefully through the branches, dropping quietly to the ground.

And as he ran through the forest, he wondered how in the hell he was going to tell Roland that his mother was gone.

###

"Hands in the air!"

Emma stopped so suddenly, Killian barreled right into her, nearly knocking her over. He grabbed her before she could fall and she spun in his arms, her face suffused with sudden joy.

He gave her a quizzical look, when the voice called out again.

"Hands in the air, brother! You can hug your girlfriend later!"

He gave Emma a devilish grin at that word, and she rolled her eyes in response. She couldn't erase the smile from her face, no matter how hard she tried. She knew her mother's voice anywhere.

"We're friends," Emma called out.

"I'll be the judge of that," Snow said, stepping out from behind a tree, training a crossbow on Emma. "Now drop those weapons, nice and slowly."

"We're looking for our friend," Killian said, pulling his cutlass slowly and placing it on the ground. "Perhaps he came this way?"

"Perhaps." Snow parroted.

"The man of whom I speak would have traveled this way in search of Regina, the bandit queen. It's incumbent on me to inform you that he's a prince, as am I." Killian stated.

Snow's eyes narrowed, but with admiration, not anger. "That was an incredibly impressive display of language," she purred. "I like you."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "He talks like that all the time," she deadpanned. "This guy - the one who he's talking about - "

"The Prince of whom he was speaking," Snow corrected.

'Yeah, him." Emma waved her off. "His name is Robin. Of Sherwood."

Snow lowered the crossbow. "You really should have mentioned the name sooner."

"So he's here, then?" Leroy asked.

"He was. He accompanied Regina on an errand - I expect them back soon. In the meantime, if you'd like to bed down at the house - "

"Not so fast!" Another voice called out of the trees. "I've got a crossbow, and I don't miss!"

Killian glanced over at Emma, unsure of this new threat, but once again, Emma was grinning ear-to-ear.

"It's okay, Granny!" she called out. "They're all friendlies."

"That's not even a word," Snow hissed.

"How do you know Granny here?" Killian asked Emma.

"She's my bos'n."

"She's _what?" _

Granny stepped out from behind another tree, squinting hard in the dark, but lowering her crossbow.

"Here," Emma said, stepping forward. "I have something for you."

She pulled the satchel she'd been carrying off her shoulder, and rummaged through it, pulling out a pair of spectacles. She extended them to Granny.

"These should help you focus," she said.

"Thank Goodness," Granny said, stepping forward. "You know I don't see very good."

"_Well_," Snow ground out. "You don't see very _well._"

"We have a gift for you, too," Killian said to Snow with a smile. "Just a bauble to express our gratitude for your hospitality." He looked over at Emma, who pulled the ring off her own finger and put it in his hand.

"It's not often I meet a woman with such a stunning command of grammar," he said smoothly, offering her the ring.

Snow flushed, reaching out to take the ring just as Granny settled her spectacles on her nose.

"Snow!" Granny's eyes widened.

"Emma!" Snow's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her daughter.

"Mom!" Emma rushed over, hugging Snow tightly.

"Granny!" Archie smiled widely, stepping forward to wrap his arms around Granny.

"Archie!" Snow said, still trying to sort out all her conflicting memories. She opened her arms wider, enclosing Archie and Granny, and they all stood there, rocking and hugging.

"What the hell is going on here?" Leroy asked, turning to look at Killian.

Killian raised a brow. "Don't look at me. I'm not hugging you, mate." he said.

###

"You're welcome to bed down in here anywhere," Snow said. "Granny, why don't you take the spot closest to the fire. Leroy, you can have your old - I mean, you can sleep over there," she said, covering quickly. Leroy gave her a suspicious look, then climbed up into his bunk.

"We really need to find that pickaxe," Snow whispered to Emma. They'd been up for over an hour, filling Snow and Granny in on what had happened so far while Archie convinced Leroy to scout the perimeter in case they'd been followed. Working around Leroy was becoming an imposition, but he really was a good foot soldier. It was almost a shame to change him back.

"Red is out running tonight, but in the morning we can fetch her cloak and get her back to normal," Snow said in a low voice, looking over at Leroy. "Dopey has it. He lives in the house just down the road. He likes bright colors."

"And what does he do here?" Emma asked.

"He's a hatter."

"Ah. Well, we'd all best get some sleep."

"_We should all get some sleep_," Snow corrected. "Sorry," she winced. "Old habits..."

"Don't worry," Emma said, smiling. "I still want a shot of rum before I go to bed."

"I can help with that," Killian offered, overhearing.

Emma spread out her bedroll in the far corner, and Snow stood nearby a moment before glancing at Killian.

"I'll just bed down over by Granny," she said nonchalantly. "In case she needs anything in the night." She gave Emma a conspiratorial smile that brought a reluctant eyeroll in return. Emma looked over at Killian expectantly, gesturing to the empty patch of floor next to her bedroll.

"Is that an invitation?" he asked in a low voice, after sauntering over.

"In this crowdfest?" she whispered back. "You're not thinking we're doing anything but sleeping, are you?"

"Alas, I am all too aware of our crowded surroundings," he said quietly. "I'm merely surprised to be settling in next to you, that's all." He spread his bedroll with a flourish, sitting down on it and offering Emma his hand so that she could sit down beside him on hers.

She leaned over, blowing out the candle on the small table next to them, then they both laid back. Emma turned her head, making out his face more clearly now that her eyes were adjusting to the dim glow cast by the fire from across the room. Goddammit, was he handsome in the firelight. She felt her pulse leap and she wished now that they weren't so public.

"You shouldn't be surprised," she said quietly, rolling on her side to face him.

He rolled to face her in turn.

"Really? Why is that?'

"I haven't exactly been pushing you away."

The corner of his mouth pulled, and his eyes twinkled. "No, you haven't."

They stared at each other for a long, pregnant moment.

"What?" she said, smirking.

"Nothing, love. Just enjoying the view."

"No you're not. You're trying to make me say it."

"Say what, exactly?"

She looked at him, then rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Killian reached out, pulling her back over to face him.

"Oh, no you don't," he said. "You may not want to say it yet, but I have a strong suspicion you're feeling it."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm feeling it."

Killian's eyes were dark, and roving over her face with hungry purpose. He pulled her closer, and his hand cupped her face as he kissed her slowly, first one corner of her mouth, and then the other. He kissed her upper lip, then lightly nipped the lower one, finally tracing the seam until she parted her lips, letting him in. His tongue slid and danced with hers, and his hand trailed down her neck, her shoulder, her back as he pulled her in tighter.

Finally, Emma pulled her lips free in a moment of pure self-preservation. If they didn't stop now, this was going to get embarrassing. His nose rubbed hers gently, and she could feel his smile against her lips.

"There's my randy pirate wench," he murmured.

"That's pirate _captain_ to you," she reminded, kissing him lightly.

Killian lifted his blanket with an expectant look, and Emma shifted over as he pulled it over the two of them. He settled her on her side, spooning into her back and kissing her hair.

"Get some sleep, love," he said softly.

She nestled in, watching the fire drowsily as she felt his fingers lightly stroking and playing with her hair. She wasn't sure she could put a word to what she was feeling, because she hadn't ever really felt it before. But the word was there.

_Cherished._

She felt...cherished.

And a few moments later, she closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.


	18. The Castle

_**Hi Readers. Tonight, I am seriously bummed. I got contracted for a writing job - a 5,000 word story that I was inordinately proud of, only to have the client reneg on the deal (after I turned it in and she told me she loved it) and try to lowball me down to half our agreed amount. I had to walk away from the deal, and I am really, really unhappy about doing so. I needed that money, but I need my dignity more. So here I sit, bummed in the extreme, and I'm too upset to sleep. Guess who gets a chapter? You do!**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading me and making me feel worthwhile with your reviews and PMs. I'm sad right now, but writing this stuff really does make me feel better. And since I'm already groveling and groaning...can I ask a favor? If any of you have bought my books on Smashwords (or read Eight Nights at Sea when it was a fanfic), and you have an Amazon account, can you hop over there and drop a review? I really need some on that site, and you don't have to have bought the book from them to do it. I would appreciate it SO much. Just a few words - you don't have to get crazy. It would help a lot.**_

_**And now, back to our story...**_

* * *

><p>Killian opened his eyes at the sound of a shout coming from outside.<p>

"Rider!" Leroy called out, and Killian once again found himself colliding with Emma as they both rolled to their feet. He reached out to steady her just as Leroy's voice called out again.

"It's Robin!"

They rushed out the door and found Robin leaping off his sweat-lathered horse.

"She's got Regina," he said without preamble. "The evil queen."

Snow pushed her way out the doorway. "How?"

"Regina was sneaking into the castle - trying to rescue her father."

"Her father?" Emma turned to look at Snow.

"Marco," Snow supplied. "He recently married the queen, who became Regina's stepmother." Snow glanced back over her shoulder. "Roland..."

"Leave Roland to me," Robin said. "I'll tell him about his mother."

He strode through the doorway, and Emma shook her head as she watched him go. "That's got to be hard - your own son not knowing you."

"No harder than not knowing where your son is," Killian pointed out.

"Or knowing he's with George," Snow added, closing her eyes. "We've got to get this fixed. We've got to get our lives back."

Emma walked over and put an arm around her mother, hugging her tight. "We'll find them," she said. "We'll find them all. But first, we need Regina." She paused a moment, and her forehead knit into a frown. "Wait...she thinks Marco is her father? Didn't her talisman work?"

"Her talisman?" Snow looked equally confused.

"Robin brought it with him," Emma said. "It was an ap - "

"An apple," Snow finished, wincing. "An apple that I took out of his bag after we knocked him out and gave to Roland to eat."

"You fed him the bloody talisman?" Killian raised his brows.

"I didn't know that," Snow protested. "And schoolteachers can't resist apples, you know."

"So now what?" Killian asked. "We go back up the beanstalk and get another apple?"

"We need to do that anyway," Emma said. "Once we figure out how to reach my father." She turned to look at Snow. "Have you been able to think of anything besides the sword? Anything at all?"

Snow shook her head. "I don't know. A shepherd's crook, maybe? Or...he did have a favorite cloak pin. We'd need to get in the castle for that."

"The castle where Regina is being held?" Killian asked.

"That's the one. If I could get into our old bedchamber..." Snow gnawed her lip thoughtfully, then her eyes widened. "In the courtyard - there's an apple tree. One that Regina planted."

"There's another apple tree?" Robin came up behind them. "That's excellent news."

"How's Roland?" Emma asked.

"Worried," Robin replied. "Archie is talking to him now. I promised him we'd get his mother back."

"It's a shame you don't know what his talisman is," Emma said.

"Have you tried anything?" Snow asked.

"I know exactly what Roland's talisman is," Robin said. "I have it with me."

"Come again, mate?" Killian raised a brow, clearly confused.

"It's a carved wooden figure of a rabbit - Little John made it for him and he takes it everywhere. I swiped it off a shelf in Charming's shop." Robin reached in the pocket of his doublet, pulling out the toy.

"I don't understand," Snow said. "You have his talisman, but you haven't brought him back?"

Robin pocketed the rabbit with a shake of his head. "I can't. Not until we bring Regina back. It would devastate her to lose him. I can't do that to her." He looked over at Emma and Killian. "So what's our plan for getting her out of there?"

"I sent Red over to Dopey's first thing this morning to buy his cloak from him - she should be back shortly and we can use her to get us in," Snow said. "There are passageways under the walls that she can squeeze into. We should be able to find them if we go in through the mines."

"The mines where we might also find a pickaxe?" Emma asked.

Snow nodded. "Maybe. From there, we'll need to get to the tower. The queen has four legions of soldiers at her disposal, at least two of them guard the castle at any time."

"Just who is she, anyway?" Emma asked. "Maybe if we know who it is, we can bring her back."

"I don't know," Snow said. "I've never seen her. She only just married Marco and then all...this happened." She gestured around her.

Killian turned to Robin. "Can you give us an overview of their fortifications?"

Robin nodded. "What I saw of them. I did get a good look at the tower from the outside, including access and exit points. They've no doubt cut down the tree that Regina used to access the wall by now, so we'll have to find another method of escape."

"I know that castle," Killian added. "Provided they haven't changed anything."

"Who knows, the way things are now," Emma interjected. "How far are we talking?" She asked Robin.

"I rode, and it took a few hours," he supplied. "If we're going on foot - and we probably should, since the Queen's forces might have seen me getting away - it'll take most of the day to get there."

"Then let's go," Emma said. "We'll leave Archie here with Roland. Once we're in the castle, we'll split off. Killian and I will go after the apple, Leroy and my Mother will try to find that cloak pin, and then we'll all meet Robin at the tower." She looked over at her mother and Robin.

"And then we all get our kids back," she said firmly. "Every single one of them."

###

Henry reached under his bed, pulling out the backpack and setting it on the floor. He squatted down next to it, unzipping it carefully so as to keep as silent as possible. It was close to two a.m. and as usual, he was having a problem sleeping.

Some of this was due to Vince's snoring, but mostly he was just homesick. He padded silently over to the window, moving the curtain and staring up at the stars. He tried to imagine his dad, spending decades, centuries even, in Neverland and he reminded himself that his father never gave up. He figured out how to get out of there. So did Killian. He could do this. He just needed to figure out how.

His eye caught a fading streak of light far off in the night sky.

"A shooting star," he whispered. He closed his eyes. _Send help_. He wished._ Send me a clue. An answer. Anything._ He opened his eyes again, waiting expectantly.

Nothing.

Even if he could get out of here, he had nowhere to go. No idea of how to find them. Were they all cursed back to the Enchanted Forest? How? And how did he find them? He needed a portal, but he needed to be sure they were on the other side of it before he used it.

He reached into the bag to pull out his notebook. Maybe he could sneak out to the bathroom, and do a little writing. He couldn't risk turning on the light in here. His hand searched inside the bag, passing over the paperback and the snowglobe, then suddenly coming to a stop as his fingers touched and then traced a highly familiar object.

An object that hadn't been in his pack the last time he opened it.

He closed his hand around it, and pulled out the story book with a wide, excited smile.

###

"This way," Red said, guiding them deeper through the tunnels. "Just past this bend, the tunnels narrow. I can get through in my wolf form, then open the hidden gate on the west wall."

"Is this where we'll find the mining supplies?" Snow asked, peering into a nearby alcove.

Killian reached out, grasping her arm. "Perhaps we should leave that for now and grab one on the way out." He shot a look over at Leroy.

Emma leaned in, lowering her voice. "He's right. We need a soldier right now more than we need a dwarf."

"What if we end up having to leave another way? We may not be able to get back here," Snow pointed out.

"So we carry it with us," Killian suggested.

Emma pushed a hand through her hair, thinking. "Yeah, but how do we know which one?" She glanced back at Leroy. "We're gonna have to do this now. Leroy!"

Leroy stepped around Robin, sword drawn. "Is there a problem?"

"We might need some extra muscle on one of these passages - it's partially collapsed. We found some pickaxes over there." Emma pointed with her chin. "Can you grab one for us?"

Leroy gave a nod and disappeared into the shadow of the alcove. A moment later his voice carried out of the darkness.

"What the _hell?"_

"Leroy!" Robin called out. "Welcome back!"

Leroy stepped out of the shadows, holding his pickaxe. "Am I hallucinating, or are we actually breaking into the evil queen's castle?"

"That's the plan," Emma said. "Now widen that passage a little bit so Red can get in there and then follow us out."

He stood staring at them for a moment as if they were all crazy. Then he shook his head, lumbering off.

"I don't get a hug," he grumbled. "Everybody else gets a hug, but no...not me, sister."

"I'll only be a minute," Red said, tossing her cloak back off her head and reaching for the ties at the throat. "Head over to the west wall - the gate is hidden behind a large patch of ivy climbing the wall."

"Good luck," Emma said. "We'll see you over there."

They made their way along the wall, stopping every so often to listen or to push back further into the shadows. The guards had been doubled along the wall, so it took a lot longer than they'd planned. They finally reached the door, but had to chop back some of the ivy to get to it, stepping back as it suddenly flew open. Leroy let out a startled sound at the sight of the large black wolf on the other side and Killian clapped a hand over his mouth, hauling him inside.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I never have gotten used to that."

Emma rolled her eyes, throwing Red's cloak over her back. A moment later she was standing before them.

"Took you long enough!" Red hissed. "Come on!"

They moved quickly through the halls, using hand signals as much as possible to communicate. At the edge of the courtyard, Emma gave her mother a nod and watched as Snow, Leroy and Robin took off in two different directions down the hallway that led into the rest of the castle. She turned back to Killian.

"Just how are we supposed to get past those guards in order to get an apple?" she whispered, looking over at the tree. It was on the opposite side from where they stood.

"I don't know, love," he replied. "I suppose they'd question your sexy bar wench persona, though it might buy us some time."

She gave him a look.

"Well, it was worth a try," he said, smiling gamely.

"Wait - not a bar wench," Emma said. "But a pirate captain."

"They'll kill me on sight," Killian said. "I've got nothing of value to offer them."

"Ah, but I do," she said. "Wait here."

"Swan - " he protested, but she was already walking toward the tree, and the three men who were milling about just a few yards away.

"Evening, boys," she called out, hips swaying and flinging her hair back. "Is this the apple tree?"

"Who are you?" One of the men - the captain from the looks of him - stepped forward, drawing his sword. "Identify yourself!"

"Relax," she said, placing a coquettish hand on the man's shoulder. "The queen told me I could grab a few of these before I left."

The captain's eyes narrowed. "The queen told you that?" he asked doubtfully.

"I made a deal with her. There's somebody she wants dead, and in return, I get apples."

"Apples." The captain clearly wasn't buying this, and it was all Killian could do not to go charging in there.

"Look, do I get the apples, or do I have to bother the queen and let her know you weren't being...accommodating?" she asked, running her fingers playfully up his arm as she smiled flirtatiously at the other two men.

"They're only apples," one of the other men pointed out. "And we don't want to be disturbing her majesty."

"Why apples?" asked the captain suspiciously.

Emma put a booted foot up on the low wall that surrounded the tree, and three sets of eyes slid down to look at her shapely leg.

"Don't you know who I am?" she asked, feigning outrage. "I'm the Black Swan."

"The Black Swan!" the other of the two guards blurted out. "Captain, she's - "

"One of the most fearsome pirates to sail the realm. I know who she is," he said, giving her an appraising look. "She has quite the...reputation. But why apples?"

"These?" Emma jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the tree. "These are enchanted apples. Guaranteed to ward off scurvy with a single bite. A few of these, and a careful eye to the seeds, and my crew can sail in comfort." She leaned in, showing a goodly amount of cleavage as she did so. "Have you ever seen scurvy?" she asked, leaning into the captain even further. "It's not a pretty sight."

The captain's eyes stayed firmly on her breasts - as did the eyes of the other two men - for a long moment. At last, he seemed to come to his senses.

"I'll have my own men pick the apples for you," he said carefully. "You can wait for them in the main hall, and once I've cleared their transfer with her majesty, you can be on your way."

Emma took her foot down off the wall, nodding her agreement. "That's fine with me. Only, you know you can't pick them now, right? She said they had to be picked in the daylight. Something about needing the sun for the magic to work. I just wanted to make sure we could arrange for their transfer to my ship first thing in the morning."

"I'll see that it's done," the captain promised. "I'll speak to her majesty right after breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan," Emma said, smiling, then shifting her eyes over his shoulder a moment. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay. Any idea where the nearest bathing room is? I'd love to get out of these clothes..."

She stretched, and three sets of eyes watched the way her shirt pulled against her breasts as her back arched.

"I'll escort you personally," said the captain, waving the other guards back to their post and sheathing his sword. "If you'll come with me?" He extended his arm and Emma looped hers through it, walking with him toward the door at the far end of the courtyard. Once they stepped into the shadows, an arm came out and grabbed the man from behind. A short, nearly soundless scuffle ensued and a moment later, Killian was dragging the unconscious man into a stand of bushes near the doorway.

"Take his armor," Emma whispered. "It'll look like you're escorting me to the tower as your prisoner."

"Capital idea," Killian agreed, pulling off the man's helmet.

"Did you get it?" she asked.

He held up the apple, smiling widely. "I could have chopped down the whole bloody tree and they wouldn't have noticed, with that fine display of goods in front of them."

She gave him a sideways smirk. "Hurry up. Robin's probably at the tower by now. If we can get Regina's powers back, getting out of here will get a whole lot easier."

"I've got what we need," Killian said, pulling the doublet over his head and grabbing the helmet. "Let's go."

He opened the door into the main hall, stepping cautiously inside and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was empty. "The tower is that way," he said in a low voice, pointing toward a staircase on the opposite wall. "We'll take the stairs up, and then we need to cross the rampart."

"Let's get out of here before somebody decides to start a game of pinochle or something," Emma suggested.

"You'd win any game they played, love." He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You've an unfair advantage. Two of them, actually." He waggled his brows and she bit back a smile.

They stepped forward toward the staircase, but a puff of purple smoke stopped them in their tracks, and a voice from behind them sent a chill up their spines.

"Well. Aren't you two _cozy?_"

They looked at each other grimly, and Emma turned slowly around, closing her eyes with a grimace before opening them to face the new threat.

"Hi Dad," she said.


	19. The Lure Of Power

Henry found his favorite table in the back corner of the library, and settled himself in, opening the book on the table in front of him. He started flipping through from the back to the front, knowing instinctively somehow that if the book sought him out, it had to be a clue. He knew all the stories in it almost verbatim, but if anything had been added...

And it had. Only, it didn't make any sense.

Henry flipped back, looking for the earlier stories, only to find that everything, _everything_ had been changed. His mother was...a pirate?

"What the hell?" Henry clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing he'd said that out loud. He paged through the book, shaking his head.

"A Tale of Three Princes," he read, rubbing his head in pure confusion. "Archie? Robin? _Killian_?"

He shut the book, putting his head in his hands. "How could this happen?" he whispered. "What changed everything?"

He opened the book again, determined to read every new chapter. The book was trying to tell him something. He just had to figure out what.

He put his head down, and began to read.

###

"Dad, I can explain," Emma said, putting up a hand to stop him before he did anything.

Charming made a grand gesture. "Please do. I assure you, I'm all ears."

Emma started to talk, but Charming interrupted.

"First, let me see to your little...vermin problem." He waved a hand, and in a poof of smoke, Killian vanished, leaving a small, black mouse in his place. Charming lifted his boot, preparing to deliver the death blow.

"Wait!" Emma didn't think, she just dove face down onto the stone floor, covering Killian with her hands. She looked up at her father, carefully gathering Killian in her hands and transferring him to the pocket of her cloak.

"Emma..." Charming warned with an oily smile, "Don't interfere."

"Oh, I'm not," Emma said, quickly getting to her feet. "I'm not interfering at all. I just..." she wet her lips, thinking fast. "I was getting tired of him, anyway. And I like the way you're solving this for me. But I still need to find the other guy, so maybe you can do your little trick again and let me take care of them both with one stomp." She forced a smile.

Charming looked as though he wasn't quite buying that, but he was willing to indulge.

"Very well," he said. "Where do we find the other would-be lothario?"

"He's breaking into the tower," Emma said. "Can you get us there a little faster?"

"Of course," he said, giving her a warm, fatherly smile. "And then we'll kill them." He gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder, then waved his hand again with a flourish. They vanished, re-appearing at the foot of the winding stairwell that led up to the tower. Emma's hand moved down, patting the slightly squirming lump in her pocket, relieved beyond measure to find it there.

"Okay," she said, reaching inside her satchel. I just need to get something."

"How lovely to have visitors!"

Once again, Emma found herself turning to face the threat, and found her jaw dropping as she took in the sight of Belle, resplendent in a black, sequined gown with feathers at the collar, her hair pulled into a high, jeweled headdress, staring superciliously down from the stairwell. She began to slowly descend, taking her time, eyebrows raised as she smiled a cold, calculating smile.

"Charming."

"Belle. Fancy meeting you here." Charming's smile didn't falter.

"It _is_ my castle."

"And you wear it well," he said graciously.

"I don't recall sending an invitation," Belle said, continuing down the stairs to stand in front of them. "And who might this be?" She nodded at Emma.

"My daughter."

Belle raised her brows again. "Really?" She walked a slow circle around Emma, swishing her long skirt behind her as she gave Emma a cool once-over. "Are you sure she's yours?" she asked. "She certainly doesn't have your eyes."

"Careful, Belle..." he warned with a chuckle. "You may have been an excellent protege', but I won't stand for anyone laying an insult upon my family."

Belle looked annoyed. "I wasn't insulting your family. I didn't know you _had_ a family." She trailed a finger along a lock of Emma's hair. "I must have missed the birth announcement." Belle turned abruptly, looking at Charming. "Did you bring her here for fashion advice? I'm not exactly the nurturing type."

Emma rolled her eyes, giving the lump in her pocket one more soothing pat. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm standing right here. And I'd like to finish what I came here to do, if it's all the same to the two of you."

"Oh," Belle replied. "Does one of these belong to you?" She flicked her wrist, and a long, rattling chain slithered down the stairs like a snake, pulling along behind it Robin, Regina and Marco, all in manacles.

"I was just getting ready to have them beheaded," Belle continued.

"Well, we only need one of them," Charming said, pointing at Robin. "That one."

"Hmmm." Belle pursed her lips while Emma looked wildly over at Robin, willing him to meet her eyes. "I don't know," she said, tapping her chin. "He's awfully pretty. I may have use for him." She gave Regina a purely taunting smile. "After all, he is Regina's betrothed, and I'm not done taking from her yet."

"Ah, but this is for my little girl," Charming said, in a cajoling tone. "Apparently he's got a faithless heart, and we can't let that stand, now can we?"

"What!" Regina turned in outrage on Robin. "You were courting both of us?"

Belle let out a peal of laughter. "Oh, this is too good. Too, too good."

"What?" Robin repeated, looking askance in Emma's direction.

"Wait!" Emma jumped out in front of them both. "Listen, we're not a threat to you. Just let them go and we'll stay out of your way."

"_We?_" Belle said sarcastically. "No, y_ou_ are going to stay out of my way. _They_ are going to die."

"She's saying '_we'_ because she has a mouse in her pocket," David said. "Literally." He flipped his hand over, and there in his palm, sat Killian, twitching and squeaking.

"Dad - " Emma's eyes went wide. "Please..."

Charming's head turned away as Belle lobbed another fireball, hitting the wall between Robin and Regina, who were inching toward the door. "Not so fast," she said to them, before looking over her shoulder at Charming. "Are we done here? I really do have things to do."

"Why don't we finish them all together?" David offered magnanimously.

'Oh, very well." Belle drew back her arm, and Emma shouted "Regina!"

Regina's head snapped around and Emma tossed her the apple, shouting "Think fast!"

Regina instinctively caught the apple just as Belle tossed another fireball and the second her fingers closed around the fruit, the fireball fizzled out. At that same moment, Charming tossed Killian straight up into the air, drawing back his hand to throw a spell of his own, when suddenly, he was hit from behind by a barreling Snow White.

"David!" she screamed.

"Killian!" Emma shouted, diving to catch him. He let out a loud squeak as he landed in her outstretched palm.

"What the hell!" shouted Leroy, coming in behind it all.

Belle stood shaking her hand, completely surprised by her lack of magic. "What's going on? What's happening?" she asked, her eyes widening with dismay.

Regina straightened up, and the chains fell from her, Marco and Robin. "I'm back, that's what happened," she said, forming her own fireball. "Now, move away toward the wall," she said to Belle.

Robin reached out, putting his hand around Regina's neck. "You're back. Regina, you're back." He set his forehead to hers and she put her hand over his, smiling into his eyes.

"I have no idea what's going on," she said.

"Neither do I," said Marco, "but we need to get out of here." He pointed toward the corner, where Snow and Charming lay in a tangled heap, slowly righting themselves. Emma put Killian safely back in her pocket, then closed her eyes, concentrating until her palms started to glow.

"Get away from her," she said to Charming.

He looked up at her, shaking his head for a moment. "Emma?" He looked over at Snow. "Are you all right?"

"David?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's me." He looked up at Emma again. "I mean, it's _really_ me." He pulled Snow into his arms, holding her tightly.

Emma sagged with relief. "You found the cloak pin," she said.

Snow lifted her head from her husband's shoulder. "No," she said, eyes shining. "We didn't find anything."

Emma looked over at Robin, then back to Snow. "How?"

David reached out, tracing Snow's face with his fingers. "I touched her. That's how."

Realization dawned on Emma's face. "_She's_ your talisman. Of course."

"We do share a heart," Snow reminded, kissing him lightly.

David pulled back, putting his hands on Snow's shoulders. "Where's the baby? Is he safe?"

"Come on," Snow said, her face going grim. "We have a lot to talk about. And plan." She stood up, putting a hand down to help him.

"Wait - " Emma said. "Do you still have your power?"

David shook his head. "No. I felt it rush out of me the second I touched your mother. I'm not The Dark One anymore."

"This is all quite lovely," Belle said sarcastically. "But what the hell is going on?" She strode forward, getting in Emma's face. "What have you done with my powers?"

"It's a long story," Emma said apologetically. "Now, if you'll just come with us..."

"I'm not going anywhere with any of you!" Belle said in a scathing tone. "Mark my words - I will find a way to destroy each and every one of you. I swear I will." She snapped her skirt behind her and pulled open the nearest door, slamming it hard behind her.

"Should we go after her?" Robin asked.

"You want to go after the evil queen?" Marco said incredulously.

"_I'm_ the evil queen," Regina said tersely. "I mean - I'm the queen. Or I was. I don't know what the hell I am now," she added, throwing up a hand.

"Leave her for now," Snow said. "None of this will make sense to her anyway. You might have regained your powers, Regina, but she's still the Evil Queen until we find her talisman."

Emma felt a nudge from her pocket and reached inside. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled. Killian let out an indignant squeak and she held him up so she could look him in the eyes. "Oh, please, I did _not_ forget you." He squeaked again.

"All right, all right," she said, putting her hand down to the ground. "Regina? Can you do the honors?"

Regina arched a brow. "Who is that?"

"It's Killian. Do you mind?"

Regina waved her hand, and a moment later, Killian stood, reeling slightly in the center of the room. Emma reached out to grab his arm, steadying him. "Whoa there. You okay?"

"Okay?" he roared. "No, I am bloody well _not_ okay." He glared at all of them. "I was wondering when you were all going to stop talking and get around to me again."

"Sorry," Emma apologized. "Come on, let's get back to the house." She turned to David and Regina. "We'll fill you in on everything on the way there." She turned back to Killian, sliding her hand down his arm and twining her fingers with his. "You sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I am craving cheese," he said. "But I'm no worse for my ordeal." He pulled her in closer as they others gathered themselves up. "I was actually quite comfortable. You've got very soft hands, love" he said.

She gave him a sly smile. "Oh, I certainly do. And I can demonstrate that any time."

Killian swallowed hard as Emma sashayed toward the door.

"Bloody pirate," he said with a grin, following her out.

"When we reach home, I need to show Marco something," Snow said, following them out.

Marco gave her a curious look and she favored him with a bright smile in return. "Sleepy taught wood shop," she explained. "We have all sorts of wood carving tools. It's quite an impressive collection."

"Sleepy?" Emma asked.

"Aurora," Snow said. "She's probably back by now. She was away at a conference."

"What?" David looked thoroughly confused. "In the Enchanted Forest? What sort of conference was she at?"

"David," Snow chastised as she shouldered her bow. "Don't end a sentence in a preposition, please."

###

Belle sat in front of the mirror in her bedchamber, glaring at her reflection.

"Powerless," she seethed. "Completely undone. Stripped of my magic and I don't even know how they did it." She dropped her hairbrush with a loud thunk onto the bureau. "How am I supposed to control a kingdom without any power?"

"You want power?"

She spun in her chair to find out where the voice came from.

"Who are you?" she asked, getting to her feet. "Who let you in here?"

"The name is Rumplestiltskin," he said. "I let myself in. And I brought you this." He gave a flourish of his hand, and a single, long-stemmed rose appeared.

Belle stepped forward, taking the rose. "You have magic," she said.

"Oh yes. I have magic. I am The Dark One again. And if you need power, I can... supply it."

She looked at him distrustfully. "Why?" she asked. "Why help me?"

"Because I find you intriguing," he said, "And because our interests are aligned."

"And how is that?"

Rumple walked slowly toward her, his eyes drinking her in as he drew close enough to touch her.

"You want power," he said, "And I've always wanted a woman who wanted power. It's that simple."

Belle rubbed the petals of the rose slowly across her lips, then brought it forward to trail down Rumple's arm. "It seems we have some common goals," she said, her eyes brightening with interest. "Just how do you propose to help me with that?"

He gave her a slow, crafty smile. "By keeping things _exactly_ as they are. You in power, and me at your side, taking care of the rest."


	20. Freed

_**Hello readers, and THANK YOU, as always, for sticking with me! We've got probably another 5 chapters in this one...maybe more, but not much more. Then I take a short break, and it's on to the next adventure. I have two on deck, and it's just a matter of trying to figure out which one I want to take you on first. In the meantime...I have a new short story available for free download via Smashwords - check out my author profile for that info. The story is "Central Perk At 5th And Olympus" and it's a whole lot of fun. If you know your mythology, you'll get a kick out of it. Thank you so much to all of you who buy/read my books and leave a review - especially at Amazon! My book sales at Amazon have really surprised me in a big and wonderful way, and all of you have done a lot to help me there - thanks again!**_

_**I've also started retro-reviewing season one of OUAT - you can find those under the Fanfic/Recaps section on my author website at brittdelaney dot com. I'm having a lot of fun with those, so keep checking back if you want to read them.**_

_**But enough about me. You want a story, so let's get back there.**_

* * *

><p>"Come on, let's get to the trees," Emma said. "I don't trust Belle not to send the guards after us."<p>

"She looked pretty defeated," Regina said. "I know what it's like to have your powers ripped from you," she cast a sideways look at Killian, who gave her a forced smile in return. "Trust me, it's quite sobering."

"In my defense, you were trying to kill me," Killian pointed out.

"I tried to kill a lot of people," Regina shrugged. "Don't take it personally."

"And I've evaded death from far worse people than you," Killian countered. "So you don't take it personally, either."

Emma stopped, turning around and gave them both a look. "Okay, we're all buddies here. Now let's _move._" She turned back around and stomped off into the forest.

Regina raised an eyebrow at Killian, Robin raised his hands as if to say, "Leave me out of this," and Killian gave Regina a bow and courtly wave of the hand as if to say "after you."

Snow followed after, shaking her head, followed by David, who clapped Killian on the shoulder.

"Good to have you back, mate," Killian said.

"It's good to be back," David replied. "But that's still my daughter up ahead. Don't forget that." He gave Killian another pat and a friendly smile, then sauntered off after his wife.

Killian blew out a stream of air, ruffling his hair, then followed them all into the trees.

They were almost to the spot where the elevator let out when Emma's hand came up, signalling them all to stop. Killian ducked behind a tree, pulling her with him, and she peeked her head around slowly.

"No need to hide," Rumple called out. "It's only me. Besides, you were making enough noise for an army."

Emma stepped out from behind the tree, followed by the others. "It's about time you showed up," she said. "Did you find anything else out that can help us?"

"Now that I'm not The Dark One anymore, you should have your powers back, right?" David asked.

"That's correct." Rumple eyed him cooly. "From what I hear, you did a credible job. I'm quite impressed."

Snow's eyes turned to David and he held up a hand, shaking his head. "No...you can keep the title," he said. "I have no desire to go back to that again."

"I'm fine with you like this, too," said Emma.

"I definitely like you better this way," Killian chimed in and Emma elbowed him in the ribs.

"Do you know where Henry is?" Regina asked.

"He's not here," Rumple said. "Not in the kingdom at all."

"Then he has to be in Storybrooke," Emma said.

"No, he doesn't_ have_ to be anywhere," Rumple replied. "For all we know, he was thrown clear when we were sucked in."

"So he's just out there somewhere...alone?" Snow asked, horrified.

"Perhaps." He turned eyes that weren't unkind to Emma. "It's also possible he didn't survive."

"No." Regina nearly shouted it, her denial was so forceful. "I refuse to accept that."

"I don't accept it either," said Emma. "He's somewhere. We're somewhere. We just have to find out where."

"And that, Miss Swan, is the problem," Rumple replied. "Now that I've gotten my powers back and have studied the situation at great length, I have reached the inescapable conclusion that we're going to remain in this reality. So perhaps it's best if we all learn to adjust."

David looked at him like he was crazy. "Learn to adjust?" he said incredulously. "George has my _son_. My grandson is missing. People have been separated from their families, their lives - "

"And all those families can be restored, once we locate their personal talismen," Rumple pointed out. He looked over at Snow. "You're good at organizing, put some people on it and set the kingdom to rights. And as for you - " he looked at David. "You go topple George again and take your son and your kingdom back."

"And what about _my_ kingdom," Regina said, crossing her arms. "Belle seems to think she's in charge."

"I'll take care of Belle," Rumple said. "In the meantime, there are plenty of castles about. Pick one and throw the occupants out."

"I don't do that anymore," Regina said.

"And if Belle is motivated by evil, she shouldn't be ruling," Robin pointed out. "Unless you know the whereabouts of her talisman?"

Rumple looked perturbed. "You're all treating this like it's another curse," he said petulantly. "You've gotten your homes back. You can even vacation in Storybrooke if you'd like." He looked over at Killian. "You have your ship back," he looked at Robin, "You have your bow and endless forest to use it in. You've all got the best of both worlds now."

Emma stepped forward, her jaw set in a hard, stubborn line. "This isn't the way things are supposed to be," she said flatly. "Not here. Not like this. And _not_ without Henry. Now, we're going back up to Storybrooke, and we're not going to stop looking until we figure this out. Are you with us, or aren't you?"

Rumple stared back at her a moment, then gave a casual wave of his hand. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he said, with a cold smile. "And I'm afraid I'll have to nip your little adventure in the bud. There will be no solving this. You're wasting your time when you could be getting on with your lives. So I'll just be taking my leave, and taking this with me, as well."

He vanished in a poof of purple smoke, and Emma stood, open-mouthed, staring at the place where the elevator door used to be.

###

"Honestly, you boys! Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" Angela asked, as she finished filling out the paperwork at the police station.

"Sorry," said Vince, staring at the floor. Jared gave her an eyeroll.

"Save it," Angela said. "Underage drinking? Running from a police officer - that's resisting arrest, you know. What were you boys thinking?"

"We just wanted to go to the party," Jared said sullenly. "We didn't know the cops would come."

"When there's a bunch of drunken juveniles thundering music and getting into fistfights in the backyard, the cops come!" She said, waving her hands as she spoke. "You two don't have the sense God gave a goose! I leave you home with Henry while I'm meeting with CPS about an emergency foster, and this is what I come home to." She shook her head. "Come on, out to the car."

Angela thanked the officer, then marched the boys out to the car, where they slid into the back seat. She fastened her seatbelt, then turned around to look at them. "Okay," she said. "Now, where's Henry?"

Vince looked confused. "Henry?"

"Yeah, Henry. Skinny kid. Brown hair. Lives with us..." Angela raised her eyebrows expectantly, but Vince and Jared just looked at each other and shrugged. "Come on, guys," she prodded. "I know he was with you."

Jared shook his head. "He wasn't with us. He stayed at home."

"He stayed at home." Angela gave them both a look that said she clearly didn't believe them. "This is Henry, we're talking about. If the two of you tried to take off, he would have called me. It's not like he owed you a favor."

Vince's eyes dropped, and Jared looked uncomfortable.

"He told you he'd cover for you?"

"Yeah," said Vince. "He said to take as long as we wanted."

"Shit." Angela ran a hand across her face. "He's running."

###

Emma stood at the bow with her hands on the rail, staring out at the open sea. Killian approached her from behind, but he stopped a few paces away, content to lean against the rail himself and simply look at her for awhile.

The wind was lifting her hair, and she closed her eyes as the seaspray feathered her face. They had relatively calm waters tonight, and the moon played over the water with a serenity that belied the face of the woman in front of him. Emma was clearly troubled, and she pulled her arms in, wrapping them around herself as if for comfort. Killian pushed off the rail, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her, over hers, pulling her in. She leaned back with a grateful sigh, laying her head back against his shoulder.

"You look troubled, love."

"I'm worried about my parents." She turned in his arms. "I know we need to get to the beanstalk, but I'm the one with the magic. Maybe I should have stayed with them. George is a madman - he's capable of anything."

He reached out, cupping her face with his hand. "They've taken on old George before, more than once. They know what he is. And as for your parents, I would say the same - George is always underestimating them. There is nothing they won't do to get to your brother."

Emma nodded. "I know. I know." She put her head against his chest and his arms went around her again, and they stood for a time, just rocking with the motion of the ship. Killian kissed her hair softly.

She pulled away with a sigh, then looked across the deck at Roland, where he sat playing with his rabbit toy with Robin and Regina sitting next to him, shoulders touching, laughing at his antics.

"At least Robin got his family back," she said.

"Aye, and now he's determined to get Regina's back for her. And look at Archie," he said, tilting his chin up to the wheel deck. "He's a natural."

Emma considered that a moment. "He is, isn't he? He looks like he's having the time of his life at the wheel playing pirate captain."

Killian shook his head. "There's only one captain on this ship, love."

"Two," she deadpanned.

"We can fight over supremacy later," he promised, tapping her nose with his finger. "I only mean that he's content just to be here, out on the open sea. I think the freedom of it calls to him. He always seems so...confined."

"Well, then maybe this whole debacle hasn't been for nothing," Emma said. "It's definitely done Archie some good." She turned back to look at the water, eyes scanning the horizon, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"We'll find Henry, love," Killian promised. "The clues have to be in Storybrooke somewhere. We'll walk the entire perimeter of the town, search every single place he might have been...we'll find him."

Emma shoved her hand through her hair. "God. It's like Neverland all over again."

"Look what he faced there - and he still stayed strong," Killian reminded her. He wrapped his arms around her again from behind. "He's your son, Emma, and Neal's. And Regina's. That's a potent combination."

Emma closed her eyes tightly.

"I hope you're right," she said. "I really hope you're right."

###

The dark-haired young man stopped at the counter briefly in Boston. He looked around nervously before clearing his throat to get the ticket agent's attention.

"Um, excuse me," he said. "Where do I go to get checked baggage? Oversized?"

"Just past gate eleven," she said. "You'll see it on your right-hand side. Have your claim tickets ready."

"Thanks," he said, reaching in his pocket for the ticket. He re-adusted his backpack, then headed off to baggage claim. He dutifully handed the ticket over, then moved to the side of the busy concourse, pulled a wrench from his backpack and re-attached the wheels onto the mountain bike. He gave one more check to his map before wheeling his bike out the door to the street.

Henry gave the backpack a pat, reassuring himself that the book was still inside, its weight a heavy comfort on his back. Then he threw his leg over the bike and fastened his helmet over his newly-darkened hair.

"Storybrooke, here I come," he said, and he started riding.

###

Emma came awake with a start, realizing the candle had burned down and out. It must be the middle of the night.

"Sorry," Killian's voice carried on a whisper, his face slowly becoming visible in the moonlight streaming in through the windows as her eyes adjusted. She heard first one, and then the other boot hit the floor.

"Thought you were going to be at the wheel all night?" she mumbled, her voice still husky with sleep.

"Archie wanted another go at it after sleeping for a bit. I didn't have the heart to tell him no." Emma could see his teeth gleaming as he smiled. "I didn't mean to wake you, love."

She heard the indiscriminate sound of clothing shuffling, and then he slid into bed next to her, pulling her back up against him and smoothing her hair out of her face. "Go back to sleep," he whispered softly.

Emma let out a quiet laugh.

"What?" Killian asked.

"I'm supposed to sleep with _that_ in my back?" she smirked.

Killian was grateful for the darkness, so she wouldn't see his chagrined look. "Sorry, love," he apologized. "Can't help an honest reaction. And why are you sleeping in the nude, anyway? There are children aboard."

"I thought you might want to come down here and argue over supremacy," she replied dryly. "But if you'd rather sleep..." She sighed and stretched, rubbing her bottom suggestively against him. His answer was instantaneous, causing her to let out a whoop and then cover her mouth as he neatly flipped her onto her back and came down over her.

"_Captain_ Swan," he said in a threatening voice. "Prepare to be boarded."

"Killian," she laughed, reaching for him, only to find herself clutching air. A moment later, she was clutching the sheets with one hand, twisting them in her fist as her other hand buried in his hair, her back arching hard at the first touch of his lips on her heat, softly kissing and pulling at her. He used his shoulders to nudge her legs more widely apart, and she made a strangled sound as his tongue joined his lips, teasing and stroking, suckling and tormenting her until everything tightened and exploded under the searing heat of his talented mouth.

Her legs went lax but before she could get her breath back, he was positioning her and sliding into her, his hand reaching beneath her to cup her and pull her in tight. Emma let out a gasp as he hit just the right spot, and his wicked, gleaming smile said he knew it, too. He reached up, twining his fingers with hers and pulling her hand up over her head.

"Admit it, Swan..." he said, huskily, his hips rolling slowly, pressing into her and pulling away, setting a rhythm that she wasn't able to resist, her own body arching and sliding with his.

"Admit...what?" she said, ending in a moan as he pushed deeper, quickening his rhythm.

"_My_ ship..." he said, flexing more forcefully within her, drawing another moan from her lips, "And I'm in charge." The tightening fingers around hers were all the warning she got before he gathered himself and rode her hard, pushing her into a realm that began and ended with his mouth, pulling at her neck, the surging of his hips against her, the feel of him, thick and hard, stretching and sliding inside her.

"Now, Swan," he ground out. "Give it to me."

And she did, her heels digging into the mattress as it swept through her, pulling him along, taking them both over the edge and riding the wave until, with a last shudder, they lay panting in each other's arms.

"I can't move," Emma said sometime later, after Killian had rolled to her side. He reached over, pulling her into him and settling her on his chest.

"Here, love," he mumbled. "I've got a place for you right here." He kissed her forehead, then ran his hand down to rest on the small of her back.

"Okay," she sighed. "When it comes to the lovemaking, you might just be a little more qualified than me."

He chuckled softly. "Well, you're easy."

"Excuse me?" She tried to sound annoyed, but she was grinning.

"I meant, you're easy to love," he said simply.

The word hung between them, and the cabin suddenly seemed incredibly still and quiet. Emma couldn't help the way her body tensed as she waited, but he said nothing more. _Maybe he drifted off_, she thought, slightly relieved. She relaxed against him, falling into sleep herself, but still managing to register the feel of his lips as he kissed her hair, and the warmth of his hand as he pulled her in closer.


	21. Rescue and Reveal

"I think this is it," whispered Snow, as she flattened herself to the ground behind a large boulder. "There's the chink in the wall, and those three rocks are definitely in an "L" shape. The hatch should be under the rock on the left."

David nodded. "It looks right to me. You're sure you can move that, Leroy?"

Leroy rolled his eyes. "I'm a _dwarf_."

"He can move it," Snow affirmed.

David gave Leroy an apologetic look. "Are we all clear on the plan?" he asked.

"I still don't think you should use any of this stuff," Leroy said. "Anything taken out of Regina's old vault is dark magic. You shouldn't be messing around with it."

"Regina told us exactly which things to find," Snow reminded him. "Don't tell me you still don't trust her?"

Leroy gave Snow one of his trademark cranky looks.

"She gave us her own blood to help us get past the protection spell on the vault," Snow admonished. "If we can just get in and get what we need, we should be good to go."

"Just be careful," David cautioned. "George will be expecting something, I'm sure of it."

Snow kissed him quickly. "Watch for my signal," she said. "Come on Leroy - let's go ."

Snow crouched low, and ran for the wall.

###

"Well, at least we know it's still there," Robin said, surveying the beanstalk with his hands on his hips. "Why do you think he left it standing?"

"The beanstalk is a powerful magical object," Regina said. "Even Rumple couldn't bring it down." She walked slowly around it, studying it. Robin reached out to grab one of the vines.

"Robin! Stop!"

Regina's warning hit a split-second too late. Robin was thrown violently backwards, into the dirt. She rushed over to his side as he slowly rolled over, trying to get his breath.

"What the hell...?" he groaned.

"Are you all right?" Emma asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Rumple's enchanted the beanstalk," Regina bit out. "I was afraid he'd try something like that."

"Well, that's bloody wonderful," Killian snapped. "How do we get to Storybrooke now?"

"Keep your shirt on," Regina said, pushing up to her feet. Killian reached down, helping Robin to stand. Regina motioned to Emma, and walked back over to the beanstalk.

"Come on, it's time you learned this," she said.

Emma raised her brows. "Learned what?"

"Let's get us to the top," Regina said.

"You mean...we're going to...poof?"

Regina gave her a deadpan look. "Yes. We're going to poof."

Emma turned panicked eyes toward Killian. "I can't poof you!"

"I've seen your magic, love. I'm sure Regina's faith in you is not misplaced." Killian smiled encouragingly.

"Come on," Regina said, sliding an arm around Robin. "Are you okay to do this?" she asked him.

"You're not leaving me behind," he said. "Let's go."

Regina stood next to Emma. "It's going to take both of us to get past this spell. Now close your eyes, and put us all at the top. Clear your mind of anything else. Just put every one of us there with your thoughts and don't get distracted."

Killian reached out to squeeze her hand. "You can do this, Swan."

She glared over at him. "Don't distract me. I'm poofing, here."

"Sorry." He stepped back, trying his best not to look wary.

"Okay," Emma said, wetting her lips nervously. "One...two...three!"

###

Henry biked out from the bus station in Rockland, keeping to the back roads but paralelling the coast. When he reached the road into where the town should be, he biked till he reached the water, and the few feet of dock standing precariously at its edge. From there, he started into the woods, looking for landmarks wherever he could find them. He rode where he could, climbing off the bike whenever the terrain got too rough. He found a second pile of ash on the north side of the woods, followed by a third pile west of where the town would be. He set his bike against a tree and stared at it, perplexed.

"This is not a coincidence," he said. He reached into his back pack, pawing past the tattered paperback, storybook, snowglobe, change of clothes, granola bars and bottle of water, and pulled out his notebook. He sat down with his back against a tree and began to write.

PILES OF ASH

- DOCK

- NORTH

- WEST

PART OF THE DOCK GONE

ASH FROM FOREST FIRE?

He put the pen to his mouth, chewing on the cap.

"Wait a minute!" He scrambled to his feet, pacing back and forth, thinking it through. "One of the trees that burned was the enchanted tree! If someone used that ash..." He stopped in his tracks. "If they used the ash with the compass..." he paced again.

"Did someone make four different portals? But they need more than just ash and a compass." He chewed the pen again, then wrote:

DID GEORGE MAKE MULTIPLE PORTALS?

What was he trying to do if he did? Would that tear Storybrooke apart? Send it into nothingness? The woods suddenly seemed entirely too quiet and Henry felt completely and utterly alone.

"No." He said it firmly, shaking his head. "The storybook found me. They've got to be somewhere."

There was nothing left to do but get back on the bike and ride toward the south end of town, maybe find another ash pile and hopefully, a clue. Henry stuffed the notebook back in his pack, shouldering it. Then he climbed on his bike, his eyes scanning the terrain as he fastened his helmet. He was just about to push off when he noticed something standing in the distance.

"What the...?"

He pushed off, riding his bike, weaving between the trees until he pulled up, panting.

"Why are you still here?" he asked the wishing well.

###

"Well, that went easier than expected," Emma said, closing the door of Charming's Pawn Shop behind her.

"It was a basic protection spell," Regina replied. "Your father wasn't expecting you to be magic, remember? Not before he changed, anyway."

"He gave me the combination," Emma said, heading back behind the counter. "The compass is in a hidden compartment under the floor of the wall safe." She slid the painting on the wall out, working the combination lock. The safe opened with a soft click.

"Crap. Regina, I need you."

"What's the problem, Swan?" Killian asked, his eyes scanning the street through the window.

"He's got a protection spell on the trapdoor. I need some help, here." she replied.

"I rather doubt that, love. You managed to poof just fine."

Regina leaned her hip against the counter. "He's right, you know. When are you going to start believing in your own power?" She waved a dismissive hand. "Do it yourself."

"Fine." Emma snapped. She narrowed her eyes and waved her hand over the trap door. It slid back a moment later, and she reached in to get the compass.

"It looks like Regina was right," Robin remarked.

"I just had to piss her off, first - as usual," Regina remarked dryly. "Now what?"

"I think we should see where the compass takes us," Emma suggested. "Maybe it's got some insight here. I also want to walk the perimeter - see if there's a weak place or a break in the barrier around us."

"We'll start at the dock," Robin suggested. "Regina and I will head north, and you and Killian head south. We'll circle and rejoin on the western edge of the wood."

Killian nodded. "One thing first," he said, reaching into the case behind Robin and pulling out a delicate tiara. "I would imagine Aurora would like this back."

"Good thinking," Emma said. "We should take a quick look around before we go, in case there's anything that might be a talisman for anyone else we know."

"I see something right here," Robin remarked, reaching for a book, set on a shelf along the wall. "Alice in Wonderland. This is Will Scarlet's."

"I can deliver that personally," Killian growled.

"We'll stop by Smee's on the way to the dock," Emma said. "And we'll let Robin bring his friend back, okay?"

Killian gave her a grumpy look. "Okay," he said reluctantly.

"Let's go," Emma said, suppressing a smile. She looked over at Regina. "Henry's up here somewhere, and we're going to find him."

###

The postern door in the gate opened a fraction, and David made his way quickly inside.

"Well?" he whispered.

"Got it all," Snow said. "Here's the bottle." She pressed a small glass vial into his hand. "And this is the other thing Regina was talking about." She gently placed a small disk into David's hand. "Squeeze it when you're ready. George is reviewing maps in his war room, but his servant just announced dinner in his private salon. I think that's our best shot."

"Let's go," David nodded. "Leroy - stay by the door so we can make a quick exit."

"Sure," Leroy replied with a sneer. "Go kill yourselves with magic in front of a megalomaniac. No skin off my nose."

"Thank you, Leroy," Snow said, kissing his cheek. "We'll be right back."

Leroy's eyes softened and he grabbed her arm. "Take it easy, sister. Run away if you need to. We can do this another day."

"That's our son," Snow replied. "We're not running away." She patted Leroy's hand, then followed David down the hall to the salon, where a lone guard stood at the doorway. After peeking around the corner, Snow reached carefully into her pocket, sliding out a small pouch and loosening the drawstring. She poured the glittering pink dust inside into her hand.

"Here we go," she whispered to David, then she stepped out into the hallway.

"Stop!" said the guard. "Where do you think you're going to?"

Snow gave him an annoyed look. "Was that preposition really necessary? I think not." She opened her hand, and blew the dust into his face. The man instantly took on a dazed look, smiling vacantly.

"Come on," Snow whispered, motioning to David. "Regina said this will only buy us a minute or two."

David hurried past the guard who was grinning a terribly silly grin, as though he were watching imaginary unicorns frolic in a field of singing flowers.

"He won't remember any of this?" David asked.

"No," Snow affirmed. "But he will have an urge to eat sweets. I have no idea why." They made their way cautiously into the salon, where dinner was already set on the table, covered by silver domes to keep it warm. David took a place behind the curtains, just behind the chair at the head of the table. Snow crouched down behind a large buffet set at the end of the small room, pulling out the small bag of items she'd taken from Regina's vault. They didn't have long to wait.

George strode into the room, taking his seat at the table and began to serve himself as a servant stepped in bearing a bottle of wine. He leaned back so that the servant could pour, then dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. He picked up his knife, and started cutting his meat. Suddenly, a giant cloud of purple smoke erupted, obscuring his vision. Before he could shout for the guard, the smoke cleared and David was sitting across from him at the dinner table.

"Oh, don't trouble yourself," David said amiably. "I can serve my own." He reached for the platter of meat, carving off a slice and putting it on a plate.

"What are you doing here?" George's eyes narrowed.

"I should think that would be obvious," David said with a shrug. "I'm eating overcooked mutton. You really should speak to your chef." He leaned back in his chair, giving George a friendly smile.

George glanced around at the last wisps of smoke. "You have magic?"

"I'm The Dark One," David said, with a condescending smile. "You might as well ask me if the sky is blue, while you're at it."

"_You're_ The Dark One?" George's eyes widened, then narrowed. "What kind of fool do you take me for? "Gua - "

He didn't have time to yell for the guard. David lifted his hand and squeezed the disk in his palm. A wicked looking blade shot out from it, nearly nicking George's neck. George leaned back in his chair, eyeing David carefully.

"What is it that you want?" he asked warily.

"The only thing I ever want," David replied, pressing a raised marking on the hilt of the sword, causing it to retract once more. "I want to make a deal."

"I don't need anything from you."

"Oh, but you do," David said. "The kingdom neighboring yours, for instance."

"Queen Belle?" George actually looked startled. "What disagreement do you have with her? I thought she was your protege'?"

"_Was_ is correct. And my reasons are entirely my own. I've stripped her of her powers, and once you've overcome her forces, her castle - and a newly expanded kingdom - will be yours."

"Your price?"

"A baby." David poured himself a glass of wine. "I hear you happen to have one."

George's eyes narrowed again. "Why this particular baby?" he asked suspiciously. "You're The Dark One. You should be able to grab any baby you'd like."

"Ah, but I like this one," David said, smiling. "I need a child that happens to be the product of true love, and I understand yours fits the bill."

George looked annoyed. "Yes. But I need an heir, and I have a special interest in raising this particular child as my own."

David kept his smile in place, though it hurt his face to do it. He pushed up to his feet. "I'll just give the kingdom to someone else."

George drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "Wait."

David sat back down, steepling his fingers together and staring at George politely. "Yes?"

"How am I going to overcome her forces?" George asked, getting to his feet and pacing precariously close to Snow's hiding place. "Even without her powers, her army outnumbers mine five-fold."

David stood up, walking over to where George stood. "I can help with that," he offered, holding out his hand, palm up and shifting the toe of his boot ever-so-slightly over the tiny orb that Snow just rolled across the floor to him. He leaned forward, crushing the orb, and a cascading shower of sparkling fog engulfed him, blinding George long enough for David to dig the bottle out of his pocket and put it in his hand.

George raised a hand, squinting. "Do we really need all the theatrics?" he griped.

David swished his hand with a flourish. "Can't blame a man for showmanship," he said, offering the bottle to George, who picked it up out of David's palm.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Dark Fairy Dust. It'll reduce your enemies to a form that is easily squashed. "

"Very well. Guard!"

The door opened, and the guard stepped in. "My Lord?"

"Bring my son to me," George snapped.

"Yes, my Lord." The guard hurried off and George turned back to David.

"What are you going to do with the baby?" he asked.

"You'd be surprised how many spells need baby parts," David said with a shrug. He caught a glimpse of Snow's incredulous eyes peeking over the edge of the buffet, and he shot her a warning glance.

George walked over to the table, pouring himself another glass of wine. "You'll understand if I'd like to test the product?"

David smiled. "Be my guest."

The guard returned to the room, bearing a large basket with the baby nestled inside, peacefully asleep.

"Set the baby on the table and come here," George said, pointing. As soon as the guard set the basket down, George unstoppered the bottle, and poured a small amount of powder into his palm.

The effect was instantaneous. He froze, and a slow-moving wave, like a dripping glaze of light passed over his body. A second later he was a statue, glistening like marble with his hand still extended.

The guard stepped forward only to meet with David's fist against his jaw. He crumpled to the floor and David rushed over, closing the door quickly. When he turned back around, Snow was lifting Neal out of the basket, holding him against her.

"Hi sweetheart," she cooed, holding his face to her cheek and rubbing softly. "Oh David, do you think he remembers us?"

Neal opened his eyes, staring up and cooing back. David reached over, and Neal wrapped his chubby fist around his father's finger. "I'd say that's a 'yes,'" David said, jiggling Neal's hand lightly. "I think maybe we're his talisman."

"I think you're right," she smiled, leaning over to receive her husband's kiss.

"We need to go," David said, smiling down at his son. "Uncle Leroy is waiting for your mother and I," he cooed to Neal.

"Your mother and _me_," Snow corrected.

###

"Well?" Regina said.

Emma shook her head. "Nothing. We circled the entire perimeter. And the compass just keeps pointing toward the barrier." She pushed her hand through her hair.

Hook's hand slid around the back of her neck. "We'll get to him, love. We'll find a way."

"Killian's right," Robin agreed. "Henry's out there somewhere and we're just going to have to find a way through."

Emma met Regina's eyes. "Let's do it."

"Together?" Regina stepped forward.

"You're going to try to take the barrier down?" Killian asked.

Emma nodded. "And this time, I am more than motivated enough. I am tired of this upside down crap world we're in. I want my son back. I want my _life_ back. Let's do this."

Her mouth was set in a grim line and Regina raised a brow. "Finally. Keep that anger," she said. "It feeds your power. Let's both be good and pissed about this, shall we?" She put her hands up and Emma followed suit.

"One...two..." Emma and Regina threw everything they had at the barrier, but it wasn't budging, the harder they tried, the more immovable it seemed. Emma was just about to drop her hands when suddenly, the barrier started glowing, shifting, becoming more opaque.

"Are you seeing this?" Regina said, her eyes growing wide.

"We're all seeing it," Killian said, his voice clearly echoing his own shock.

Robin stepped up next to them, his jaw hanging open. "Is that...?"

Emma nodded.

"It's Henry."


	22. Together

"And how long would you say he's been gone, Mrs. Reynolds?" the officer asked.

"It's been at least six hours," she replied. "And we just heard from one of Vince's friends, who said that Henry may have bought a mountain bike from his cousin. I have a large shed out back with a lot of old junk in it - it would have been easy to hide it in there."

"Any idea where he might be headed?"

Angela nodded. "My guess is he's headed back to Maine. He was sure his mother was going to return there - the poor kid. I'd start by checking the bus and train stations around Boston. He was originally brought here after they found him wandering a highway north of there."

"Do you have a recent photo?"

Angela nodded, squatting down to get into her file drawer. "I take pictures of all the kids when they get here - just in case." She pulled out a file folder, sorting through it, then again. "Hold on," she said, looking down into the drawer and pushing folders and papers around. Her head snapped up and she looked at the officer. "He took it. He must've taken it out of the file."

"Do you have a digital copy?" the officer asked helpfully.

"Yeah, I do." She opened another drawer and pulled out a camera. "I still have the memory card in here - Henry hasn't been here that long." She turned the camera on and started scrolling through the photos once, twice... Her eyes widened. "He deleted it. He went through my camera and deleted it."

"Smart kid," the officer replied.

Angela set the camera down on her desk. "Yeah," she said. "He really is."

The officer put away his notebook and put his pen back in his pocket. "I'll put out an APB here in New York and alert the Maine state police," he said. "We'll find him, ma'am."

###

"Henry!" Emma shouted. "Henry! Can you hear us? Henry!"

"He's not responding," Killian said.

"Henry!" Regina added her voice to Emma's, as did Killian and Robin, but Henry gave no sign that he heard them.

"Can we poof to him?" Emma asked, keeping her magic flowing at the barrier. "Think ourselves through it?"

"No," Regina said. "The portal magic is too strong."

"Can we poof an inanimate object?" Emma tried. "Like a note or cellphone or something?"

Regina shook her head. "Too strong. It doesn't matter if it's alive or not - nothing's crossing that barrier."

"He's _right there_!" Emma said, in complete exasperation.

He appeared to be reading his storybook, and completely absorbed. His backpack was on the ground next to him, and he was leaning against...

"The wishing well," Regina said, tilting her head a bit as she studied him. "He's next to the wishing well."

Emma dropped her hands, and so did Regina, causing the vision of Henry to wink out. "Then let's get there," Emma said.

"Wait - we _are_ there," Robin replied. "Or at least, we should be. The well should be just a few dozen yards over that way." He pointed over his shoulder.

"It's not there," Killian said.

"Obviously." Regina snapped. "The question is, "Why not?"

"If that was the entry point - if that's where we all got sucked into...wherever this is...maybe it was immune?" Emma postulated.

"That well has magical properties. It's not just an entry point," Regina said. "It's an anchor. When you and Snow were portaled to the Enchanted Forest, the well was your re-entry point."

"So it would remain where it is, regardless of Storybrooke's location?" Hook asked.

"It appears so." Regina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Henry's clearly outside the sphere of wherever we are, and he's found the only part of Storybrooke left to find. He's trying to find us."

"What about the dock?" Robin said. "Is the barrier in place at the water?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. I ran into it personally." She rubbed her nose self-consciously. "But it might not hurt to go down there. Maybe we can call a mermaid or something."

"That's not a bad idea," Regina said. "They can travel between realms."

"It's more of an idea than we've had," Killian pointed out. "Let's go."

They headed back toward the center of town, with Robin in the lead. A few moments later, they cleared the trees and Regina walked into Robin's back as he screeched to a halt just as the stepped off the trail.

"What the devil...?" Killian's voice came out in a whisper, as he stood, dumbfounded with the others, staring up at the sky behind the buildings at the center of town.

"Are those...skyscrapers?" Regina's voice was incredulous. "Why do we have skyscrapers suddenly showing in the distance behind town?"

"Those aren't just any skyscrapers," Emma said, her brows knit together in confusion. "I know that skyline. That's Manhattan."

"New York?" Killian asked.

"Yes. That's the Manhattan skyline. But what's it doing outside of Storybrooke?"

"It looks like a shadow. Or a facade," Robin stated. "Perhaps it's showing through the barrier, like Henry was."

"Wait a minute - " Emma turned suddenly, gripping Regina's arm. "You said Henry was outside the sphere of wherever we are."

"Yes. That much is obvious." Regina said.

Emma turned slowly in a circle, her mouth hanging open. "I know where we are. We're in a sphere."

"A sphere?" Killian raised a brow.

"A _globe_," Emma replied. "A snowglobe. Robin said that Henry was going to give the snowglobe to Roland - he only has one. I bought it for him the day we got to New York. It had the Manhattan skyline in it."

"He had it with him when George opened the portal?" Regina asked.

"He stopped to see me on his way to the dock," Robin said. "He had it in his hand when he left."

"And then he got to the dock, saw the pile of ash and called me," Emma said. "Regina - if he touched the ash and then touched the snowglobe..."

Regina nodded slowly. "Yes..." she put her fingers to her lips, thinking. "Yes. There wasn't enough ash to transport us all through, so the magic splintered, pulling both realms into the only receptacle touched by the ash."

"We're inside the _snow globe_?" Robin asked. "How can that be?"

"We're not really anywhere," Regina said. "We're fragmented between Storybrooke and The Enchanted Forest. The snowglobe is holding onto the essence of that. We need to find a way to bring it all back together."

"How the hell do we break out of a snowglobe?" Killian asked, waving a hand. "And how do we let Henry know we're all bloody trapped in here?"

"Can we send a message through the barrier? Hit with an energy bolt or something?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "He couldn't see us, remember? We're not here. The only parts of Storybrooke that exist in a set place are the wishing well and Henry's book."

"He has the book." Emma's head snapped up. "If he has the book, then the stories would have changed, wouldn't they?"

"Just like when we time traveled," Killian said. "Everything changed in the book."

"He's studying," Regina said, her face breaking into a smile. "He's studying the book. Looking for clues."

"And if I know that book," Emma said, "it'll give him the clues he needs. I know that look. He's on a mission."

Regina nodded, smiling wider. "He's on a mission."

"What can we do to show him where we are?" Robin asked. "Surely there must be a way. Can we access the book or the well somehow? Send a message through it?"

"No," Emma shook her head.

"Yes." Killian answered at the same time. She gave him a questioning look. "The well. It's counterpart in the Enchanted Forest is Lake Nostos. Could we use the compass somehow - send it through the lake to Henry?"

"You'd need something else to make the portal - a magic bean or - " Regina paused, her eyes brightening. "Ash. If Henry can duplicate what George did - send the snowglobe and the ash back through the well while we hit it from the other side with the compass - it should undo what that idiot George did."

"We can reverse this?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "I think so. But it'll all depend on Henry figuring this out for himself."

"And on us making it to Lake Nostos without Rumplestiltskin stopping us," Killian added. "The last thing he wants is for us to succeed in getting things back to normal."

"He's not going to go down without a fight," Regina said, making a face. "And trust me when I tell you that Rumple doesn't fight fair."

###

"More wine?" Rumple asked, gesturing to Belle's goblet.

"Please." She gave him a smile as he waved his hand, and the goblet refilled itself. "Now, where were we?" she asked. "Oh yes. The plans for the merger of my forces with George's army. Have his captains been notified?"

"All done, your majesty," Rumple said with a grand, flourishing bow. "With George out of the way, it was a simple matter to stroll in and take the castle. His captains were...persuaded...that resistance would be folly, and now you are the official sovereign of dual, adjoining kingdoms. It won't be long before the rest of them topple."

"Not with you at my side," Belle said, with a regal tilt of her head. "Nicely done."

"A pleasure," Rumple said, waving his hand. "And only the first of many gifts I can give you. Kingdoms...wardrobe. The job comes with a fabulous wardrobe."

Belle put her goblet down. "Can you give me magic?" she asked, her face lighting up with eagerness.

"All but that," Rumple said. "Magic is something you're born with an affinity for, and alas, I don't sense that in you." Belle's face darkened and Rumple rushed to reassure her. "Oh, but you've no need of it. _I_ am your magic. Yours to wield as you will."

"You'd do that?" Belle asked, running her fingers lightly up Rumple's arm to his shoulder. "For me?"

Rumple's voice lowered to a quiet, seductive purr. "My queen, for you, I would trample anyone in your path. If they come between you and our future together, I will crush them all."

Belle smiled a slow, catlike smile. "I'm counting on it," she said, and her lips met his.

###

"Are we ready to make sail?" Killian asked as he strode up the gangplank.

"Yes, captain," Archie replied. "I've inspected and tightened the lashings while we waited for you. Any luck with the compass?"

"We've got one hell of a story to tell you," Killian replied, "But it'll have to wait because we need to get underway as quickly as possible. We're heading back to the Enchanted Forest." He climbed the stairs to the wheel deck as Archie greeted the others and they prepared for their journey.

Once he'd put them out into open water, Killian felt a head against his shoulder.

"Hello love," he said, sliding his arm around Emma. "I thought you'd be resting below. You did poof us all the way to the ship."

She lifted her head and smiled up at him. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself."

"You've never failed to impress me, Swan." His eyes held hers, and the warmth in them did something funny to her insides.

"You, too," she said quietly. "I may not have always liked you, but I was impressed anyway."

"That's because you understood me - all too well, I'm afraid. You found my inner hero and now look at me." He grinned down at her. "Off on another whirlwind adventure with my favorite partner."

"_You_ found your inner hero," Emma said. "I only reminded you where to look."

"Semantics. You can deny it all you like, but you're the savior, love. That's a proven fact."

"One that you keep pointing out to me," she said. "So I guess we've both been busy reminding each other about who we ought to be."

He pulled her into him, setting his hook on the wheel to keep it steady so he could lift her face in his hand.

"I'll make a deal with you, Swan. Why don't we stop reminding each other and just _be_ those people. Together."

"Does this mean I don't get to smack you around if you step out of line?" she cracked.

"Apparently, battering a man about the face and head is as good as a proposal in your family. I would expect nothing less from you."

"It's a deal." She settled her head back on his shoulder, and he left his arm about her shoulder, his fingers lightly stroking her cheek.

"I like that," she murmured.

"I have excellent fingers," he said with a sideways grin. "But you know that, love."

She elbowed him in the ribs for that one. "I meant the word. Together."

His hand froze for a moment, and then his lips came down, lingering softly on her forehead. He turned his eyes to open sea, and with the wind ruffling his hair, his feet on the deck and the woman he loved at his side, his world was damn near bloody perfect.

"We'll fix this, love. We'll fix it all. And if something else happens the next day, we'll fix that, too. Together."


	23. Showdown

**_Hi Readers! Thanks so much for your patience. I know my updates have been a little slower lately and that's because I've got so damn much going on! I just started a gig writing for an online magazine, and on top of that I have the 3rd installment of the Seeder series breaking next week (Check out some teaser chapters on brittdelaney dot com) and another book and a short novella on it's heels! I've started an author FaceBook page, so feel free to go "Like" Britt DeLaney's author page when you get a chance - I'd really appreciate it! I also want to give a HUGE shout out to anyone who's left me a book review, especially on Amazon. My numbers are climbing there and I know I owe a lot of it to my fans here._**

**_Enough about me, though - let's get back to Killian, Emma and the others..._**

* * *

><p>Killian shifted slightly, his hand instinctively reaching out to curve around Emma's hip. She made a contented noise and slid backwards, snuggling into him.<p>

"Killian," she mumbled sleepily.

No matter how many times he heard it, he'd never tire of his name on her lips. He'd been "Hook" for so long to so many, he forgot the simple power of a man's given name, especially when murmured in a sleepy voice by the woman he held in his arms.

"It's all right, love," he whispered. "We won't make landfall till after dawn. You can sleep a bit longer."

She pulled his arm up, settling his hand on her chest.

"And what if I tell you I'm wide awake?" she asked.

He kept his eyes closed, but cracked a smile. "How awake?"

"Awake enough," she rubbed herself against him.

"You've become quite insatiable," he said, gently lifting her leg back and over his, then positioning himself at her opening. He pulled her back against him as he slid into her deeply, his hand moving up to cup and pull at her breast as he began to slowly and seductively move within her.

"I think being a pirate has been good for you," he praised, his lips brushing her ear.

"Is that..." she pushed back on him, rolling her hips and making him groan. "So..."

"It's been bloody good for _me_," he quipped, and she gave a short laugh, followed by a ragged moan as he upped his rhythm, sliding his hand down and nearly losing the tenuous grip he had on his control when he felt the two of them together, the slide of himself within her beneath his questing fingers.

Emma moved her own hand over his, her fingers stroking and curling around the underside of his shaft as he moved his own fingers up to play over her, gritting his teeth, determined not to be unmanned before he brought her to completion. He wasn't sure he was going to make it when Emma let out a stifled cry, turning her head into the pillow as the pleasure rippled through her, pulling him in, squeezing and milking every inch of him as he buried himself deep and lost himself in the feel of her.

They lay panting in each other's arms, and he was sure Emma could feel his heart thundering against her back. He kissed her neck, her hair, nuzzling his nose against her ear.

"Are you tired now, Swan?"

"Mmmm." She turned her head to the side and smiled at him lazily. "I don't think I'll ever be tired of that."

He kissed her softly. "Neither will I, love. Neither will I."

###

Robin stood at the bow with Killian's spyglass held to his eye.

"I don't see any sign of a greeting party," he said. "The shoreline appears to be clear."

"Yeah, well, let's not forget last time," Emma reminded. "We've gotten ambushed before."

"According to Killian, this inlet is bordered by a large marshland and not easily accessible," Robin said, collapsing the spyglass. He gave a wave up to Killian at the wheel to let him know it was safe to take the ship in.

"I'd better see to the anchor," he said, leaning in to give Regina a quick kiss before heading back to the stern. Regina looked over at Emma, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She happened to catch Emma mid-yawn, and the sight of her brought a yawn from her as well. There was a brief moment of silence and then Emma broke into a sideways smirk.

"Not much sleep for you, either, I take it?"

Regina shook her head ruefully. "No." She glanced back at Robin. "As crazy as all this is, we somehow still managed to find each other."

Emma smiled. "Yeah. Guess we just naturally gravitate where we belong."

Regina's eyes shifted up to the wheel deck, then back to Emma. "I guess so. Strange world, isn't it?"

"We're in a snowglobe," Emma deadpanned.

"Not for long."

Emma nodded. "Henry's going to figure this out."

###

"So whadda ya got?" Officer Kent asked his partner.

"APB out on a runaway kid," Officer Jeffries replied. "Hopped a train from New York to Boston, then a bus up to Rockland, toting a bike along with him. We'll follow the highway up the coast and search the area where he was originally picked up. His foster mother says he's looking for his bio mom. Thinks she's gonna come back and get him or something."

"So he's out in the woods somewhere, waiting on a woman who abandoned him?"

"Looks like it. I've got two other units meeting us north of Rockland. We'll fan out on foot around once we're there. I think they've got a K9 unit they're bringing along."

"Shouldn't take long, then," Kent replied.

"Nope. Shouldn't take long."

###

Henry leaned back against the wishing well, pulling open the book once more and leafing through the pages, just in case there was anything new.

"They defeated King George?" he exclaimed. "Way to go Grandpa and Grandma!" He flipped the page and the writing stopped abruptly, just a few paragraphs down.

"My Moms are on a journey back to the Enchanted Forest...but why? Where exactly?" He gnawed his knuckle, thinking hard as he stared at the picture of his mothers, on the bow of the Jolly Roger. The shoreline behind them was unremarkable - it didn't tell him anything. He started to turn the page back when something odd caught his eye.

"Wait a minute..." he said, leaning in to look at the book. "What's this?"

There at the bow of the ship, right at the apex where the ship came to a point was...

"A snowglobe?" Henry's face screwed up in a confused look, and he turned the page back, a bit of a memory niggling at him. Two pages before, the picture of King George's castle...and right there on the table, next to the mutton was...

"A snowglobe!"

Henry paged back through the book, and there it was, again and again...in Mr. Charming's shop, in the Schoolteacher's cottage, in the cell with the bandit queen - over and over again - was the snowglobe. Henry set the book down, reaching into his pack and pulling it out. He looked at it closely, giving it a shake and watching the snow swirl around. And once it settled, he realized he wasn't looking at Manhattan.

He was looking at Storybrooke.

"They're in the snowglobe?" he said incredulously. He held it up, staring at it intently. "They're in the snowglobe!"

He looked around, as if help were going to come from somewhere, and then realized once again that he was on his own.

He settled back against the well, stuffing a fist under his chin as he stared at the snowglobe.

"Now what?" he asked nobody.

And nobody answered him.

###

"We need to head inland," Robin said. "The marsh ends just around this bend and we can start through the trees."

"Keep one eye on the treeline," Emma said. "We don't want any surprises."

"Speaking of surprises..." Regina walked up to a rather large tree, next to the coastal road. "Take a look at this."

Nailed to the tree - and to every tree lining the road - was a wanted poster, featuring all four of them, offering a reward of a hundred pieces of gold for each of them, courtesy of Queen Belle. Regina ripped the poster off the tree, holding it out to the others.

"Unbelievable!" Killian exclaimed.

"I know," Robin commiserated. "But it won't be the first time I've been branded a criminal."

"I'm not talking about that," Killian replied testily gesturing with his hand. "Look at my nose! They never get the nose right!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Come on, gorgeous," she smirked. "Let's get off the main road before someone recognizes the rest of us."

They'd just stepped into the trees when an arrow whizzed through the air, embedding in one of the wanted posters. Robin turned instantly to the threat, and Killian drew his cutlass, but Emma put out a staying hand.

"Hold your fire," she said. "I know that arrow."

Snow and David stepped out of the trees a few dozen yards away.

"Emma!" Snow ran forward, hugging her daughter tight. David took a moment, looking the four of them over.

"No Henry?" he asked, his eyes clearly showing his worry.

"Yes and No," said Regina. "We've found him but we can't get to him. The big news is we've found _us_."

"Us? You mean, you know where we are?" Snow asked.

"Yeah - and you're not going to believe it," Emma said. "We need to get to Lake Nostos as fast as we can. We think we may have a way to reverse all this."

"Well," said Rumplestiltskin, who suddenly appeared, leaning on a tree. "Isn't that wonderful news." He pushed off the tree, glaring at them. "Only, it isn't. Your agenda does not align with mine in the least, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't play along."

"We know where we are," Emma said. "We can get things back to normal!"

"And why would I want that?" Rumple replied.

Snow looked at him in shock. "You really want Belle to be evil?"

Didn't you go through that once before?" David asked. "And all you wanted was to get her back, remember?"

"That was different," Rumple said coldly. "Lacey was a lush with no ambition beyond her next drink or her next companion. Belle is a queen now, and with her in power and me behind her - she's unstoppable."

"This isn't who Belle would want to be," Killian said darkly. "Doesn't that count for anything with you?"

"You don't know that," Rumple said, waving a hand. "Perhaps now that she's had a taste of that kind of power, she wouldn't want to let it go. Most don't."

"Most aren't Belle," Emma reminded him. "Don't do this to her...to us. And Henry's all alone out there - you have to help us all get back to where we belong. Please."

"I'm afraid the course is set, Miss Swan," Rumple said calmly. "Your best course of action is to simply stay out of our way."

"That's not going to happen," Regina said firmly. "I'm getting my son back. And you're going to get out of _my_ way." Regina felt the fireball forming in her hand, and she gave a nod to Emma, who felt the current gathering in her own palms.

"You think you're powerful enough to face us both down?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes. "I wouldn't take that gamble."

"Oh, I don't need to," Rumple replied. "I don't need to go against you at all. Not when I can take it out on all of them." He gave a careless flick of his hand, and Robin, David and Killian hit the trees, pinned to the sides of them by clinging vines that sprang up out of nowhere, winding around them and sliding across their throats, choking them and cutting off their air as their hands clawed and pulled at them in a futile effort to draw breath.

"As long as their lives are in my hands," Rumple said with a smile, "You're going to do _exactly_ as I say."

Emma shot a panicked look at Regina, whose own eyes showed her mounting horror.

"Stop!" Regina said, the fireball in her hand winking out.

"Don't do this," Emma begged, closing her own hands and stepping back, her eyes on Killian and her father. "Let's talk - please!"

Rumple stayed his hand for a moment, and all three men took a huge gasping breath, though the vines still held them in place.

"The time for talking is done, dearie," Rumple replied. "And I think I'll keep my new toys close to me from now on, just for good measure. Sort of an insurance policy, against your good behavior."

"Let them go!" Emma threatened.

"My dear Miss Swan," Rumple said in a condescending voice. "This may be the realm you were born into, but it isn't a realm you command. Leave the orders to the ones in power, and find a better pasttime than a filthy pirate."

While Rumple had been giving his speech, Snow had been digging in her pocket. She turned her head sharply, looking past Rumple and over his shoulder.

"Look! Over there!" She shouted. Rumple's head whipped around and she raised her bow, firing off a shot straight at him. He turned back, grasping the arrow in mid-air before it hit him.

"A little trick I learned from my father," Rumple said with a wide smile - a smile that slowly began to fade. "What have you done?" he said, the realization beginning to dawn on his face.

"Petrifying powder," Snow said smugly. "I coated the shaft with it. Sometimes you don't need magic. Just a bag of tricks. Now let's go."

Regina waved a hand and the men dropped to the ground, scrambling to their feet and following as Emma took the lead, pushing through the trees.

"Wait," called Robin. "Let me guide us. I can get us to the Lake on the fastest route."

"Regina and I can get us there faster," Emma said. "Come on, Regina, let's poof."

"All the way to Lake Nostos?" Regina said, raising her brows.

"You say I'm powerful. And I know you are. That powder isn't going to hold him forever. Let's get this done."

Regina nodded. "We've got nothing to lose." She looked over at the others. "Ready?"

Everyone nodded, and Killian reached out, taking Emma's hand. She glanced over at him.

"Poofing, here," she reminded him.

He gave her a lopsided grin, dropping her hand. "Have at it, Swan."

Emma nodded to Regina, and concentrated.


	24. Undone

They appeared in the middle of an army. Emma looked around in dismay at the assembled forces, and her mouth dropped open when she saw Belle, sliding off her horse, resplendant in tight purple leather pants and a feathered cloak with a high collar that gave flamboyant a new definition.

"Rumple told me you might just drop by," she said, strolling over. "And here you are. Sorry to spoil your plans, but I really do need that compass." She held out her hand, and Emma stepped back, leaning into Killian slightly.

"I can't let you have it," she said, holding Belle's eyes. "Belle, this isn't right. You don't belong here. Not like this."

"The Enchanted Forest is my home," Belle replied. "And I belong in a seat of power, controlling it all. Rumple knows that, and with him at my side you don't stand a chance. So why don't you all just cooperate, and in return..." she smiled far too sweetly - "I'll let you keep your miserable lives."

"Belle, listen to me," Emma said. "I don't know what Rumplestiltskin's told you, but _this isn't you_."

"You don't want to live this way," David added. "Believe me. I know."

"You have a life and family and friends," Snow told her. "You aren't evil."

"Oh, so that's what they're calling me these days?" Belle asked, saucily. "Did Regina start that appellation?" She walked over to where Regina stood.

"Your reputation precedes you," Regina said. "It comes with the job."

"A job I'm doing rather well at the moment," Belle said, gesturing around at her guards. "And now I'm going to kill you. And when I do, I'll get my powers back."

"That's not how this works," Regina said with a taunting smile. "You'll just have to be evil without them, I'm afraid."

"Seize them!" Belle cried, and her guards started forward.

"Emma!" Snow called out, stepping in front of her. "The compass! Get it into the lake!" David joined her, drawing his sword.

"We've got this," David shouted, as his sword met the sword of one of the guards. Snow was firing arrows into the crowd, and Regina joined the fray, tossing fireballs and scattering soldiers, trying to clear the way for Emma to get through.

Emma gave Killian a nod and he drew his cutlass, fanning out with Robin to flank her on either side as she moved with them toward the water, fighting their way through.

###

Henry leafed through the book again, furiously writing in his notebook as he balanced it on the edge of the well.

**Portal went into snowglobe. WHY?**

He chewed on the end of his pen, then started tapping it on the book, as though he were drumming thoughts from his head.

"What was I doing when everything disappeared?" he mumbled to himself. "I was on the dock. I was holding the snowglobe. I was looking for Roland, and I had it in my hand." He shook his head in frustration, willing himself to remember whatever it was that he was missing.

"And before that..." Henry's eyes went wide. "I touched the ash! The ash from the enchanted tree - it must've been on my hands." He stepped back, smacking his hands against his head.

"I sent them into the snowglobe!"

He started pacing. "This is all my fault. _This is all my fault_."

He stopped in his tracks. "Maybe it needs more ash. Maybe if I cover it - or bury it..." He turned quickly, breaking into a trot over to where he'd left his backpack. He shoved the book down inside, taking extra care not to jiggle the snowglobe too much.

"Hang in there, everybody," he said. "I'll work this out. I promise."

He zipped up his backpack, raising his head as he heard the sound of a dog barking in the distance.

"Pongo?" he said out loud. "Is that Pongo?"

He turned and ran in the direction of the dog.

###

The fight was going fast and furious, and Emma was keeping up as best she could. Belle had hundreds of soldiers with her, and even with Regina's fireballs and her own electric pulses, coupled with the swords and arrows of the others - they just weren't making any headway. Emma dropped back, looking for a clear space so she could gather herself and concentrate.

"I'm gonna poof over to the other side," she shouted. "Keep 'em busy!"

She closed her eyes, focused, and then...nothing.

She started to take another step back and try again, but found that her feet were frozen in place.

"What the...?"

"A binding spell," Rumple replied, stepping out from behind her. "Did you really think simple petrifying powder would hold me?"

"No. But I knew it'd buy us time," Emma said angrily. "And I'm willing to bet I'm strong enough to bust out of this. And you know it."

"I rather doubt that," Rumple said with a self-assured smile. "And now to deal with the rest of the nuisance." He started to wave his hand, but found his arm being grabbed by Emma, who took a deliberate step in front of him. Rumple's eyes widened in surprise.

"Good thing you didn't take that bet," she said, narrowing her eyes.

It only took a split second for Rumple to recover and send Emma flying with a quick burst of magic. Regina saw it happen, sending a volley of fireballs at Rumple that he deflected easily, sending them right back at her. That gave Emma enough time to get up on her feet and send a charge at Rumple, hitting him squarely in the back and sending him staggering. He turned quickly, sending up a whirlwind of smoke and fierce gusting wind, tearing at their hair and making vision impossible.

"Killian!" Emma shouted.

"Swan!"

"Now! Do it now!"

Rumple's head snapped around, realizing just what she meant. Emma didn't have the compass - Killian did, and he was nearly at the water, with Robin clearing the way, firing arrow after arrow at his side. Regina did her best to cover them from where she was, but the tornado Rumple unleashed was making it hard to stand or see, let alone aim.

Rumple flung out his arm, sending the tornado to encircle Killian and Robin, who were huddled together, as if trying to shelter themselves.

"It's over, Miss Swan," Rumple shouted to be heard over the roar of the wind. "In another moment, they won't be able to draw breath."

"No!" Emma blasted Rumple with everything she had, and Regina added her own to it. Killian fell to the ground and Robin went down to one knee.

"Two o'clock!" Killian shouted.

Robin lifted his bow and Killian looped the compass chain over the arrow a split-second before he fired through the smoke and wind, into the swirling blackness.

Robin's eyes met Killian's triumphantly.

"I never miss," he said.

###

"Pongo! Here, boy!" Henry called out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Pongo!"

"Over here!" he heard a voice ring out. "I hear him!"

Henry instantly realized he'd made a terrible mistake. That wasn't Pongo - it was a search dog. He could hear it barking as they all drew closer, several voices now, calling out to each other. Henry turned and ran as fast as he could, dodging through the trees, scrambling over rocks and fallen logs. He thought briefly about trying to climb a tree, but if they had a dog, they'd find his hiding spot and then he'd be stuck.

He ran harder, holding his side as a cramp tore into him and his breath came in gasping pants. He could hear them more clearly now - they were getting closer.

"Henry!" he heard someone shout. "We're police officers. You need to stop!"

"Shit!" Henry clapped his hand over his mouth, and nearly looked over his shoulder to see if either of his Moms had heard that before he remembered why he was running. He put on a burst of speed, then suddenly skidded to a halt.

He'd almost run right by an ash pile. He ripped off his backpack, tearing at the zipper, then he crouched down and scooped as much ash as he could into the bag, covering the snowglobe.

"Henry!" Another officer's voice this time - a woman. "We've got the wood surrounded - you might as well stop running!"

"No way!" he said, under his breath. He slung the backpack up onto his back and took off again, looping back toward the well where he'd left his bike. If he could get back on wheels, they'd never catch him.

"C'mon...c'mon..." he said, over and over. "How long does it take enchanted ash to work, anyway?"

The dog was getting louder - they must've let it off the leash so it could run him down. Henry was having trouble seeing - his vision was getting blurry from hyperventilating and sweat was pouring into his eyes. He broke through some underbrush and caught sight of the well -

And it was glowing.

A beacon of light shot straight out of it, greenish-yellow and pulsing with power. This wasn't any ordinary light. This was magic.

"The portal!" he gasped. "They're trying to get through!" He ran for the well just as he heard the dog clawing and biting its way through the underbrush behind him, barking madly and alerting the others who were only seconds away. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Henry ripped off his backpack, running right up to the well and slamming into the side of it. He pulled out the snowglobe and threw it as hard as he could down the well, falling sideways as the dog's paws hit his back, knocking him over.

He laid face-down in the dirt, panting hard and coughing from effort, sure he was going to throw up, tasting the coppery taste of blood in his throat from the burn of his muscles and the need for air. His fingers curled into the dirt and leaves, and he waited for the hands that would be hauling him to his feet. He flinched as he felt the first one curl around his shoulder.

"Henry?"

He rolled over, blinking twice to be sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Mom? Mom!"

He threw his arms around Emma's neck and she held him fiercely, rocking him back and forth.

"You did it! You did it, Henry!"

"Henry!" Regina's voice broke in, and Henry pulled back, reaching out an arm to pull her in tight.

"Mom!"

"I knew you'd figure it out!" she said, pushing his hair off his head. "I knew you would."

"I did it," he panted, grinning ear to ear. "Operation Chameleon. I found you."

"Kid," Emma said, grinning back. "You did good."

She looked over Henry's shoulder as Killian cleared the trees, running up to them, and his lopsided grin along with Henry in her arms made her finally feel like she was home.

###

"Where'd he go?" Officer Kent said, panting after having run so far. This morning's donuts weren't sitting too good right now.

"I don't know," Jeffries answered. She turned to another officer, who was crouched down beside the dog, who was sniffing in circles. "Where'd he go?"

"Jock had his scent," the K9 handler replied. "And then it just disappeared. Just...poof."

"Poof?" Jeffries repeated.

"Poof." He shrugged apologetically.

"What kind of a word is 'poof'?" Kent said derisively. "Nobody says poof."

"All I know is, he's gone," the officer said defensively. "Without a trace."

"Poof," said Jeffries.

Officer Kent put his hands on his hips, looking around and seeing absolutely nothing but trees and more trees. He spat on the ground.

"Poof," he said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hang tight, readers - we've got a steamy epilogue coming. And a sneak peek at my next fanfic!<strong>_


	25. Epilogue

_**Hello Readers, and once again, thank you for inspiring me to another story's end! Sorry the updates have been coming slower, but I've got a lot going on - here's the big announcement: t**__**he release of my Sci-Fi Fantasy YA novel! You can check out the novel FREE on swoonreads dot com for the next 6 months - I have it entered in their YA romance contest! You'll have to create an account to read, but they require minimal personal info and I promise, they DO NOT spam you. Just go to SwoonReads and look up the book "Traveler: Book One of the Viator Journeys" (FYI - you will recognize a rather charming Irish pirate at one point in the book...). So read, leave me honest feedback and vote, please! The book with the most votes gets a full publishing contract! It's under my alternate pen name, since it's not full of explicit steamy stuff like my other novels.**_

_**I've also spent the last few days copying my files and I'll be setting up an account next weekend on AO3 (I'm karmacanary there, too) where I can duplicate my fics. I'll run them side-by-side for as long as this place lets me. Anyway, that project and the re-review of my YA Novel before contest submission put the last Seeder book on a backburner for its own final review. Ugh. I hope to have that done this weekend and Changeling: Book Three of the Seeder Saga should break Monday or Tuesday. Keep an eye on my blog, Twitter or FB for details. I'm also releasing a Valentine's Day short on Feb 1st that I'm sure you'll like.**_

_**After that, I take some time off to try to rebuild my gray matter, and then I start work on my next steamy novel and of course, my next Fic. I have two in my head, but I'm going to start with this one - a lady named Pandora is coming to Storybrooke looking for some lost property, bringing with her a world of troubles - literally. "Pandora's Pain" should be kicking off on Valentine's Day. Watch for it!**_

_**And now, let's wind this story up... and thanks again, everyone, for reading and for reviewing. You all make writing so worthwhile.**_

* * *

><p>"More pancakes, Henry?" Regina smiled as she sat across the table from her son, and at his enthusiastic nod, she signaled Red to bring over another stack.<p>

"How many days have you been living on granola bars?" Emma asked, passing Henry some more syrup.

"Three," Henry answered around a mouthful of bacon. "I didn't want to take a chance at being spotted, so I kept away from civilization as much as I could once I got off the bus."

"Well, slow down before it all comes back up again," Emma said. "And then once you're done here, you look like you can use a bath and about forty hours of uninterrupted sleep."

"I'm not that tired," he protested. "And I want to hear Grandpa and Grandma tell me about the battle with George. The book had the story, but I want all the details." He glanced around. "Where are they, anyway?"

"They left to get get Belle," Regina answered. "She called your grandmother from the town line and said she needed a ride back."

"Your grandmother said she sounded really upset," Emma added. "I told your grandfather to take the squad car in case there was something major going down."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What I wouldn't give to have heard that conversation."

"I'm sure it wasn't pleasant," Robin agreed.

"Indeed." Killian crossed his arms, scowling. "I should have taken care of him while he was still helpless."

Emma put a hand on his arm. "Let Belle take care of this. This one is her fight, and she can handle it."

Killian gave her a reluctant nod, and his hand came up to slide over her hand, twining his fingers between hers.

"Speaking of helpless," Robin said, "What ever became of old George?"

Regina smiled a catlike smile. "I have him in my foyer," she said. "He makes a stunning coat rack."

"Good to know the spell is holding," Emma said. "So I guess none of it got reversed?"

"Nothing got reversed, just re-arranged again." Regina pointed out. "We all have both sets of memories."

"We certainly do," Killian murmured, causing Emma to squeeze his hand with punishing force.

"And you have that scar on your thigh where George's guard nicked you with an arrow," Robin added. Regina raised her brows and leveled a death glare on him as Henry's eyes widened.

"Yes, well... I think Henry's just about finished here," Regina said with a forced smile. "Why don't we take him home?"

"I could go back to your house," Henry said. "If Grandma comes back with Neal, I won't get much sleep."

Emma nodded. "He's right."

"I think that's a good idea," said Robin. "Roland could do with a nap of his own, after all that hiking in the woods."

"I'm awake!" Roland said. "I don't need a nap!"

"Yes, you do," Robin said, tapping his nose fondly.

Roland turned his wide brown eyes on Regina. "Pleeeaase?" he pleaded.

She looked over at Robin, who gave her a discreet shake of his head, followed by a wink.

"I think you should listen to your father," she said, smiling. Roland gave her a crestfallen look, grabbed the last piece of bacon and stuffed it in his pocket as they all stood up.

Killian reached out, clapping a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Good to have you back, Henry," he said with a grin. "And it surprises me not one bit that you found a way to save us all."

Henry grinned. "Thanks. You get some credit, too. I got some of the money for my mountain bike by playing dice with the other guys."

Killian arched a brow. "You used the dice I gave you, I wager."

"I won every time."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said, putting an arm around Henry. "Now, if you don't mind, Henry needs to find his bed and get some rest." She dropped a kiss on the top of Henry's head and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you," she replied, kissing him again. "Now, go."

Emma leaned her head against Killian's shoulder as she watched them leave. "It's good to be back. Really, really back."

"Not a fan of the Enchanted Forest, I take it?" Killian asked with a sideways grin.

"Not a fan of sleeping on straw mattresses," she answered. "But the ship was awfully nice."

"It was," he said, a bit sadly. "I miss the old girl already."

"What do you think happened to Blackbeard? You didn't run into him anywhere, did you?"

Killian shook his head. "No. But it would have been nice to have seen him as a barmaid or monk."

"Yeah, sorry I missed that," Emma said wryly. "Well, at least I had a ship for a little while."

His eyes narrowed. "_My_ ship."

"Granny makes an excellent bos'n," Emma said.

"Damn right I do," Granny called out.

Killian gave her a nod. "I'll keep that under advisement, should I ever get _my_ ship back."

"C'mon," Emma said, nudging him in the ribs. "I thought you liked the pirate in me."

Killian leaned down, putting his lips by her ear. "I'd like to put some pirate in you right now, love," he murmured.

"Get a room, you two!" Granny called out.

Emma raised her brows and smiled at Killian. "You heard the lady."

He gave her hand a tug, pulling her along down the hallway toward his room. He released her just long enough to get the door open, then he pulled her inside and shut the door behind her. Emma sank back against it.

"We did it," she sighed.

"Not yet, we haven't," Killian replied, sitting on the bed and tugging at his boots. She smiled at him.

"I meant, we got us all back," she said. "As convoluted as all that was, we managed to fight our way through it back to who we were."

"You're welcome to strut out your alter-ego anytime you'd like with me, Swan," Killian said, waggling his brows. "She certainly livened things up."

"I think you handled the prince thing pretty well," Emma said. "You were a perfect gentleman." Her eyes moved down to the carpet, remembering. "Well, nearly perfect."

He scratched his head. "On second thought, perhaps she's better left as a memory. She damn near killed me."

"How cold was that shower, anyway?"

His eyes narrowed. "Frigid."

Emma couldn't help it, the laughter bubbled up from inside, partly from the memory, partly from relief that it was all finally over. She shook her head.

"Oh, Killian," she said, still laughing. "I love you."

It came out of her mouth before she could call it back, and her eyes went wide with alarm. Killian was off the bed in a heartbeat, his hand sliding around to cup her head as he moved in close.

"Oh no, Swan," he said. "Don't think for a moment you're backing out of this." His eyes were overly bright, holding hers with an intensity that stole her breath away. "You've said it, and I won't let you rescind it." His lips hovered just above hers. "Not now."

"Killian, I - " she looked away, swallowing hard. He turned her face back, gently.

"I love you, Emma. Truly, and with everything I have to give. You must know that."

"I just...I think maybe we should...I don't know," she finished lamely.

"What?" he answered. "Am I to pretend that you're just another dalliance? That you haven't changed me? Given me a reason to be a better man? All because love has brought us both such pain?" His thumb brushed her jaw tenderly. "I'm not afraid, Emma. Not of this. Not of you."

He kissed her lingeringly, softly, his lips moving across her face to feather her cheeks, drying the tears that were sliding down.

"You're the bravest woman I've ever known, love. So do it. Be brave with me."

He kissed her again, and this time it was deeper, wilder, taking on a life of it's own and their lips clung and parted and clung again. His body pressed her tight into the door and she ran restless hands up and down his back, moving into his hair and tangling there, feeling like she just couldn't get close enough.

He reached down, swinging her up into his arms and she moved her mouth to his neck, his chest, as he lay her on the bed and came down over the top of her. It didn't take long to get the rest of their clothing out of the way, and soon enough, Emma found herself in a welter of heat and need, rolling with him, and sliding herself down on him, arching her back to drive him harder into her. Her fingers dug into his chest as they moved and slid and ground together, and she was so lost in the sensation of him buried deep inside her that she didn't hear him at first. He called her name again, softly.

"Emma."

She opened her eyes, fevered and unfocused, unable to still the movement of her body. His hand came up to her hip, gripping her tight as he slowed. His eyes locked with hers, heat meeting heat, and she knew. She knew what he wanted.

"Say it, Emma. Please." His voice was a husky whisper as he continued his slow, torturous rolling of his hips, and the pleasure was building, building...

"I love you, Killian. Now and for always. I love you."

His face broke into that devilish grin that never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

"Now that's better," he said, pulling her down on him hard as he sped up, sending her over the edge, splintering into a thousand pulsing pieces, riding out her pleasure until she collapsed on him, sated and safe in his arms.

They lay there for a long, long time, unmoving, with Emma's hand lightly tracing patterns on his chest and his hand at the small of her back, stroking slowly back and forth. Emma's voice broke the silence.

"It's just such a big step," she said.

"It is a big step," he agreed, kissing the top of her head.

"Like jumping off a cliff."

He tilted his head down so he could look at her, and she stared up at him, still a little dazed but not uncertain anymore.

"Well, then," he said, twining a lock of her hair around his fingers. "It's a good thing we've got someone who can poof us to the bottom."

And his kiss cut off her laughter, as they rolled across the bed once more.


End file.
